Is your throat parched, no matter how much you drink? Maybe your tongue is like a desert, just waiting to catch fire. These could be symptoms of dry mouth.
This is a condition that many people joke about if they haven’t had a glass of water in a while. However, this is a serious problem for many people that always feel as if they don’t have enough saliva.
Although a common problem for many, dry mouth is still mysterious. It’s referred to by a variety of nicknames such as cotton mouth, but it’s true causes and remedies remain unknown.
If you’re suffering from dry mouth, there are some things that you can do before you seek help from a dental professional. That’s what this article is for. We will cover a few solutions for getting rid of dry mouth that you can use today.
What is Dry Mouth?
Xerostomia is when your saliva glands are not as active as they should be. In short, you don’t make enough saliva to cover your tongue and mouth. Because of this, your mouth gets dry and uncomfortable.
Symptoms of this condition include:
- A sticky and dry feeling in the mouth
- Being constantly thirsty
- Getting sores in your mouth
- Having cracked lips
- Seeing your tongue become red, raw, and dry
If not treated quickly, this could cause gingivitis, tooth decay, and mouth infections.
While there is a big difference between natural lack of saliva once in a while and daily thirst, it never hurts to get checked out by a dentist.
How Can I Get Dry Mouth?
There are multiple ways that you can develop dry mouth and most of them are simple to solve. One of the most common ways is medications, as a result of taking pills. If this is the issue, you should consult your dentist before continuing.
It could also be due to certain diseases and infections. In fact, sometimes consistent dry mouth is one of the first indicating factors of a condition that was previously unknown. You could also have a cold that causes you to become dehydrated. Another reason could be chemotherapy to the head and neck, which causes damage to the salivary glands. Talk to your doctor immediately if you believe you are experiencing this condition as a result of chemotherapy treatment.
What Can I Do to Get Rid of It?
If your dryness is due to medication, you should talk to your dentist. They might switch you to another drug or recommend something else. As for a larger disease or condition, this is something your physician would know. Make sure to get a physical and mention your condition. Chemotherapy-caused dry mouth can be combated with medication that helps boost saliva production.
- For at home solutions, suck on sugar-free candy or chew sugar-free gum. This helps produce more saliva.
- Drinking a lot of water is essential as well.
- Try to incorporate fluoride into your brushing daily.
- For all of you mouth breathers, try to breathe through your nose.
- Lastly, don’t be afraid of a little humidity.
If none of these solutions work, go see someone to prescribe you medication. The risks of leaving this untreated are way worse than having to go to the dentist once.
Kiss Your Dry Mouth Goodbye
This condition doesn’t have to stick around for long. Who wants gross breath and a sandpaper tongue, anyways? While there are a lot of good home brewed ways to solve the problem, you need to exercise a bit of caution. If anything starts to get worse, immediately stop whatever plan you had and see a dentist.
If you leave this condition untreated, your dental bills will end up skyrocketing because of the gum and tooth damage that it causes. Up your water intake, and talk to your dentist to find the specific source of your condition.