From the term itself, dry mouth is a condition of not having adequate amount of saliva to keep the mouth wet. More than the uncomfortable feeling of this condition, saliva has very important uses. It aids in the digestion of the food we eat. Chewing and swallowing is possible because of saliva. It also helps in preventing tooth decay. Lastly, fungi and bacteria inside the mouth are controlled with the help of saliva. Dry mouth has several symptoms, although not all of these are experienced by the patients. Examples are dry and sticky feeling of the mouth, dry and red tongue, always thirsty, dry feeling of the throat, bad breath, mouth sores, cracked lips, sore throat, and burning sensation in the mouth and tongue. Some of the risk factors of having this condition are gingivitis, mouth infections, and tooth decay. The good news is dry mouth can actually be treated. You can drink a lot of water to keep your mouth wet. You can also try eating or chewing sugar-free candies. You have to breathe through your nose, instead of your mouth, to maintain moisture. There is also artificial saliva that can be bought over the counter. If your condition stays the same, you have to visit a medical professional immediately since dry mouth can be due to several reasons. These include the following:
- Having nerve damage from a surgery or injury on the neck or head area can lead to dry mouth.
- One of the common side effects of some medications is dry mouth. This include drugs that deals with anxiety, allergies, depression, obesity, pain, colds, acne, hypertension, nausea, epilepsy, psychotic disorders, asthma, diarrhea, Parkinson’s disease, and hypertension. Sedatives and muscle relaxants can also cause dry mouth.
- Your lifestyle can also be the cause of such condition. If you smoke and drink too much alcohol, the production of saliva is greatly affected.
- Dry mouth can be a symptom of some infections and diseases which is it should never be taken for granted. The condition could be due to HIV, diabetes, stroke, mumps, anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, hypertension, Sjogren’s syndrome, and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Conditions that could result to dehydration, such as vomiting, fever, blood loss, excessive sweating and diarrhea, can also lead to dry mouth.
- If you had your salivary glands removed, this could then reduce the production of saliva.
- Medical treatments like chemotherapy can damage salivary glands. This can also decrease the saliva produced, thus resulting to dry mouth.