Apart from hydrating your mouth, saliva also keeps it clean and free of food debris as well as acid. It also helps to digest food while you chew it in the mouth, also making it softer and helping you swallow it.
Thus, when there is an excessive deficiency of saliva, you face several problems that are harmful to both oral and overall health. This severe lack of saliva in your body leads to dry mouth syndrome, also known as xerostomia.
Apart from digestion issues, xerostomia can also lead to tooth decay, bad breath and gum diseases. This is because saliva has a major role to play in maintaining oral hygiene.
Now, how do you know that the dryness in your mouth is actually severe? How does dry mouth syndrome generally happen, and how to cure it? Let’s help ourselves with this first.
What Causes a Dry Mouth?
Usually, dry mouth syndrome is a side effect of several heavy medicines such as blood pressure pills, depression or anxiety pills and heavy doses of painkillers.
Apart from that, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Sjogren’s syndrome, yeast infection, nerve damage, aging and sleep apnoea also cause xerostomia. Even alcohol and tobacco are poisons that most of us consume, which dry up the mouth along with affecting other organs.
Symptoms of Dry Mouth Syndrome
If you want to figure out that the dryness in your mouth is actually xerostomia, following are the symptoms you need to look for:
- Troubles in chewing and swallowing food
- Your mouth feels dry or sticky
- The saliva is thicker than usual
- Your breath has a foul odor
- The tongue feels dry or grooved
- Your throat is sore, dry and hoarse
- You might face trouble with speaking
- Wearing your denture might become difficult
All these problems will lead to a lack of nutrition in your body, cracked and dry lips and problems with your teeth and gums.
Tips and Tricks to Prevent and Cure Dry Mouth
Of course, we at Kallangur Dental Surgery are there for you if you face dry mouth syndrome. However, we have certain tips that’ll help you take care of these problems by yourself too:
- Drink at least 2-3 liters of water in a day
- Avoid caffeinated and alcoholic drinks as much as possible
- Have more fruits that are rich in water such as watermelon, peaches, and cucumber
- Papaya juice is very helpful in treating xerostomia
- When you have a dry mouth, do not have dry and salty snacks like toast or crackers
- Use humidifiers during a hot and dry climate
Get in touch with us
Along with these simple tips and tricks, do visit us for a comprehensive check-up if you face dry mouth or any other oral health issues.
We look after patients from Kallangur, Murrumba Downs, Warner, North Lakes, Strathpine, Griffin, Petrie, Lawnton, Mango Hill and surrounding areas in Brisbane Northside.
Do call us at 3886 0933 for more inquiries.
No-Gap* on Check-up and Clean for patients with HCF, BUPA, and MEDIBANK. Health Fund must Pay $185AUD. *Terms and Conditions Apply, Please call our caring team at 07 3886 0933 to know more.