Contents:
- Medical Video: What to Do When You Have A Dry Mouth
- Causes of dry mouth
- 1. Dehydration
- 2. Lifestyle factors
- 3. Nerve damage
- 4. Use of certain drugs
- 5. Certain diseases
- When should dry mouth be seen by a doctor?
Medical Video: What to Do When You Have A Dry Mouth
Saliva or saliva is a liquid produced by the salivary glands or salivary glands that play a role in moisturizing and cleaning the mouth, digesting food, and preventing tooth decay. The way saliva works is by neutralizing the acids produced by bacteria, limiting bacterial growth, and cleaning food particles in the mouth. Saliva also plays a role in preventing the mouth from drying out; because it is dry, the ability of the mouth to fight bacteria and ingest food is reduced. In fact, dry mouth can also interfere with your appetite.
Even though dry mouth is a normal condition, however, a mouth that is constantly dry can be a sign of a problem in your mouth.
If your mouth is dry, then usually, you will experience cracked lips, bad breath, dry or grooved tongue, difficulty speaking, difficulty eating and swallowing, dry throat or sore throat, hoarseness, and there are disturbances in the taste buds.
Causes of dry mouth
Here are some things that can cause dry mouth:
1. Dehydration
Dehydration is a condition in which the body does not get enough fluids as needed; so, it can make the mouth dry. Some conditions that can make you dehydrated are nervousness or anxiety, excessive sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, blood loss, or burns. To prevent dehydration, you need to consume more vegetables, fruits and drinking water.
2. Lifestyle factors
Smoking habits and alcohol consumption can actually affect how much saliva is produced. Studies have found that long-term smoking significantly reduces the flow of saliva and improves oral and dental abnormalities associated with dry mouth, especially caries, gum inflammation, tooth mobility, calculus, and halitosis (severe bad breath).
3. Nerve damage
Dry mouth can also be caused by nerve damage to the head and neck area due to injury or surgery; and the salivary glands that can affect the amount of saliva produced in the mouth.
4. Use of certain drugs
Taking antidepressants, antihistamines and diuretics can actually make your mouth dry. It is also a cause of dry mouth in adults, in addition to changes in the body's ability to treat drugs, inadequate nutrition, and long-term health problems.
5. Certain diseases
Certain health conditions, such as diabetes, stroke, fungal infections in the mouth (canker sores), Alzheimer's disease, or autoimmune diseases can also contribute to causing the mouth to dry out.
When should dry mouth be seen by a doctor?
The simple thing you can do when your mouth is dry is to drink more water, chew sugar-free gum, limit your consumption of caffeine, stop smoking, or use mouthwash containing xylitol to stimulate salivary glands to produce saliva. However, if this does not succeed in overcoming the dry mouth, then you need to consult with a doctor to get the right treatment.
