Tips To Treat the Dry Mouth

Insufficient saliva in the mouth is the main reason you get mouth dryness. Dry mouth mainly results in symptoms like dry and sticky mouth, and trouble swallowing. You might not be able to even talk properly if you have a dry mouth. Getting the root cause treated is the best way to treat the resultant dryness. You may be able to have benefit from home remedies or over-the-counter drugs but if they are not able to provide you the relief, you need to visit your dentist.

Treating dry mouth at home

There are actually a lot of things that you can do at home to treat your dry mouth. However, it would be beneficial to know about the exact reasons for dry mouth. There can be a lot of medical reasons for the mouth dryness. Diabetes, hormonal imbalance and autoimmune disorders are among the top medical reasons for the mouth dryness. Certain treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation can also affect the flow of saliva in the mouth.

The greatest benefit of treating mouth dryness is that it can help you prevent certain oral and dental health disorders including cavities, gum disease, mouth sores and oral thrush. Few things that you can do at home to treat mouth dryness may include:

• Chewing sugar free gum or sucking sugar free candy
• Having frequent water intake throughout the day
• Using over-the-counter artificial saliva
• Running humidifier in the bedroom at night

The main purpose of the above mentioned methods is to stimulate the production of saliva in the mouth. Moreover, you will have to make sure that you are not breathing from your mouth. That flow of air can also cause mouth dryness.

Other things that you can do to prevent mouth dryness mainly include:

• Quitting use of tobacco
• Reducing the consumption of caffeine
• Using alcohol-free mouthwash

If simple methods for stimulation of saliva production are not working for you, you can consider getting over-the-counter medicines for saliva production. Majority of those medications are safe but you have to make sure that you consult with your dentist before picking any particular medication.

Getting the problem treated professionally

If home remedies and over-the-counter medications are not providing you the relief, you need to consult with your dentist because your salivary glands are not responding to the simple stimulation methods. In this scenario, your dentist may suggest you the use of prescription medicines. If you are on the meds which have been inhibiting the production of saliva, your dentist may be able to suggest you the alternative medicines for your medical condition. Or they may be able to get in contact with your health physician to discuss an alternate.

Dry mouth is not only uncomfortable but it can actually cause real harm to your oral and dental health. Therefore, you need to discuss this problem with your dentist on emergency basis.