Contents:
- Medical Video: Get the Facts and Treat Chronic Dry Mouth
- What are the causes of dry mouth?
- 1. Age factor
- 2. Smoking and drinking alcohol
- 3. Take medicines
- 4. Cancer therapy
- 5. Nerve damage
- 6. Certain diseases
Medical Video: Get the Facts and Treat Chronic Dry Mouth
Almost everyone has felt dry mouth. Especially if you are not drinking aka dehydration, plus being in the hot sun, then your throat feels dry and hurts. In fact, the cause of dry mouth is not only because of dehydration, you know. Check out the other possibilities below.
What are the causes of dry mouth?
The following are various common causes of dry mouth, including:
1. Age factor
As you get older, your saliva production decreases. So it's no wonder that older people, grandparents, or even yourself often experience dry mouth.
2. Smoking and drinking alcohol
Smoking and drinking alcohol are two of the most common causes of dry mouth. Because, these two bad habits can reduce saliva production and aggravate the symptoms of dry mouth.
3. Take medicines
If you often feel dry mouth, try to look at the type of medicine you are taking. Some types of drugs, especially over-the-counter medicines, have side effects such as dry mouth.
Types of drugs that can cause dry mouth include sedatives or drugs, hypertension drugs, and some antihistamines, decongestants, and muscle pain medications.
4. Cancer therapy
People who are undergoing cancer treatment with chemotherapy or radiation will usually experience dry mouth. Side effects of cancer treatment can change the nature and amount of saliva, making it susceptible to causing dry mouth.
No need to worry, this is usually temporary and will return to normal after your cancer therapy is complete. However, this can also be permanent if the dose of the drug used is quite high.
5. Nerve damage
Injury or surgery on the head and neck can cause side effects such as dry mouth. Because the nerves in the head and neck play an important role in sending signals to the salivary glands to produce saliva.
If the nerves are damaged, there are no nerves that send signals to the salivary glands. As a result, the amount of saliva decreases and causes dry mouth.
6. Certain diseases
Experiencing a dry mouth continues, even after getting worse? Immediately consult your doctor.
There may be certain diseases that you are experiencing, ranging from mild to severe. For example thrush, mumps, rheumatism, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, to autoimmune diseases such as Sjogren's syndrome or HIV / AIDS. Yes, some of these diseases have side effects in the form of dry mouth which makes you uncomfortable.
