Causes & Cures for Dry Mouth
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Today, we will learn about a disease that occurs when we do not have enough saliva in our mouths. Saliva plays an important role in our mouths. It clumps food so that we can swallow it easily and protects our teeth and the mucous membrane of our cheeks and lips. It also balances the microorganisms found in our mouths and inhibits tooth decay. Let’s read on to learn more about the importance of saliva!
What is Dry Mouth?
A disease that dries your mouth due to poor saliva secretion is called, “dry mouth.” In a healthy mouth, saliva is secreted from three salivary glands, and each salivary gland has different viscosity and composition. Let’s look at some of the causes of this disease.
Causes of Dry Mouth
As you get older, you may find that you struggle to eat because your mouth is dry, too hot, or your tongue cracks. You may even have trouble speaking because your mouth is so dry! In this case, it is more likely you have a disease called dry mouth rather than a tooth or gum problem.
Drug use might also cause dry mouth. Allergy medication, neuropsychiatric medication, and high blood pressure medication are typical examples of drugs that can cause dry mouth. Additionally, radiation centered around the face or neck may affect salivary glands and cause saliva to not be produced as well. Dry mouth can also occur due to autoimmune diseases.
Dry mouth can also come about if you are stressed or depressed. Further, breathing through your mouth, excessive drinking, and smoking can also negatively affect saliva production.
Treatment for Dry Mouth
It is usually not possible to make a complete recovery from dry mouth, but depending on the cause, there are effective treatments available to reduce the occurrence of dry mouth.
When the saliva gland is properly functioning, it releases saliva smoothly. In order to promote saliva secretion, we recommend consuming sugar-free gum made from xylitol or mint-flavored candy. Also, if necessary, medications can be administered to increase saliva secretion.
If the function of the saliva gland is hindered in some way, it is recommended to use water or artificial saliva to help moisten the mouth. Frequent gargling should be avoided. In order to maintain humidity in your home, you should use humidifiers or wet towels. Interestingly, when you do use water to moisten your mouth, it is more effective to use small amounts of water rather than drinking a lot.
Treating dry mouth is a great way to improve your daily habits. It is recommended to avoid drinking alcohol, smoking, and working overtime. Also, if you have a habit of breathing through your mouth, you should consciously refrain from doing so. In addition, mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression can cause dry mouth, so we need to take care of our mental health. While we may be focused on curing our dry mouth, we might actually end up improving our quality of life!
While dry mouth can be a detrimental disease, there are many ways to treat it or prevent it entirely. As always, we should focus on our overall health. Drink plenty of water, rest, and eat well. We should avoid smoking, drinking, and stress. If we do this, not only will our oral hygiene improve, but our overall health will get better as well.
