Have you ever experienced dry mouth, due to illness or as a side-effect of a medication? At the time, you likely noticed how unpleasant it feels when your mouth and throat feel dry, itchy, and sticky. You may have thought “what a nuisance!” but you probably didn’t realize how serious this condition can be. Dry mouth occurs when your mouth does not produce adequate levels of saliva and it can have a disastrous impact on your oral health.
Do you need an oral health check? Call Chisholm Trail Smile Center at 580-255-4880 to make an appointment with Duncan and Velma, OK dentist Dr. Matthew Bridges.
Symptoms of Dry Mouth
This condition is pretty straightforward. If your mouth feels drier than usual for more than a brief period of time, you are experiencing dry mouth. Our mouths naturally become dry at night, as saliva production slows down when we sleep. This is why you often feel the need to reach for a glass of water when you wake, and it’s also why we experience “morning breath.” Without saliva, bacteria grow to greater levels and create that unpleasant smell. (That’s why it’s important to brush your teeth in the morning!)
However, when that same dry, sticky feeling occurs during the day, that is not normal. Patients may experience:
- A sore, scratchy feeling in the throat
- Difficulty swallowing
- Difficulty speaking
- A bad taste in the mouth
- Bad breath
Saliva is our bodies’ best natural defense against bacteria, as it’s constantly rinsing away food residue and neutralizing acidic bacterial excretions. Any prolonged period in which the mouth is not producing normal levels of saliva may lead to an increased risk of developing tooth decay or gum disease.
What Causes Dry Mouth?
Most cases of dry mouth are caused by medications we take. More than 400 commonly used over-the-counter and prescription medications list dry mouth as a side effect, which means it can happen to pretty much anyone. The list of drugs that may give you dry mouth is a long one, and may include allergy and cold medicines, diabetes and blood pressure medicines, as well as common antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and ADHD medications.
Some medical conditions can make you more likely to develop dry mouth, as well. For example, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, and hypertension can all cause you to produce less saliva than normal. Sjogren’s syndrome is a disease that causes the salivary and tear glands to underperform directly, but this condition is quite rare. Simply being under-hydrated can also cause your mouth to feel dry, as your body needs water to create saliva.
The Dangers of Dry Mouth
Beyond the annoying factor, dry mouth can lead to major problems with your oral health. Without adequate saliva, bacterial growth can quickly lead to enamel becoming demineralized or eroded, and new cavities can develop very quickly. Bacteria may colonize the gum tissue and this can hasten the onset of gum disease.
Just one period of dry mouth associated with a bad cold, for example, can mean the start of new cavities if it’s not treated properly. For example, if a patient has a bad cold and the cold medication causes dryness, he or she may treat the itchy, dry throat with sugar-containing cough drops. Going to bed with a cough drop in your mouth may ease the dry feeling, but it will also feed bacteria and their acidic excretions may rise to levels high enough to cause decay. It’s not unheard of for a patient experiencing chronic dry mouth to develop new cavities and need multiple root canal treatments in as little as a few months!
How is Dry Mouth Treated?
There isn’t a drug available that can make your salivary glands work more efficiently, so most cases of dry mouth are treated symptomatically. The following steps can help you counteract potential damage and discomfort:
- Chew sugarless gum to stimulate saliva production.
- Take small sips of water to keep the mouth moist.
- Stay well hydrated to boost saliva production.
- Use lozenges and sprays designed to treat dry mouth.
- Avoid candy and cough drops with sugar.
- Use products that contain xylitol, when possible.
Xylitol is commonly used in products designed to treat dry mouth, because it is the only known sweetener that is actually good for your teeth. It does not break down like sugar and therefore doesn’t feed mouth bacteria. Instead, it prevents bacteria from sticking to the teeth and can help keep your mouth environment from becoming too acidic.
Visit Your Duncan and Velma, OK Dentist for a Check-Up
If you experience prolonged periods of dry mouth, make an appointment at Chisholm Trail Smile Center and we’ll check on your teeth and gums to make sure you aren’t experiencing a decline in your oral health. If your dry mouth is a side effect of a medication you are taking, you may want to talk to your doctor about possibly switching medications to see if a similar drug doesn’t have the same effect on you.
Call 580-255-4880 to make an appointment with Duncan and Velma, OK dentist Dr. Matthew Bridges.
