Willow Dental Care Network

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So You Got A Little Dry Mouth – What’s the Problem?

If you’ve been experiencing a sticky dry feeling in your mouth, constant thirst, sores in your mouth, cracked dry lips, a dry raw tongue, tingling or burning sensation in your mouth or on your tongue, bad breath, or trouble tasting, speaking or swallowing you are experiencing dry mouth. You might have chalked it up to not drinking enough water and thought little more of it. This could be a dangerous path.
There are many causes of dry mouth:

  • a side effect of certain medicines as well as muscle relaxants and sedatives.
  • dehydration
  • a side effect of certain medical conditions such as: anemia, cystic fibrosis,  diabetes, HIV/AIDS, hypertension, Parkinson’s Disease and rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome
  • damage or removal to the salivary glands
  • nerve damage to the head and neck area
  • smoking or chewing tobacco
  • age:  over 60  is a decrease of saliva production  anywhere from 30-40%
  • previous head/neck radiation

You see saliva, besides helping to breakdown your food, also regulates the PH balance in your mouth and acts as a buffer between your teeth and plaque. Without saliva your teeth are left defenceless against bacteria. The plaque in your mouth starts building, your enamel erodes, quickly forming cavities.  Also fungal growth can run rampant.

Besides seeing your doctor to modify your prescriptions or diagnose the cause of your dry mouth you’ll also want to visit your dentist to find some solutions.  They would monitor for fungal infection, cavities.  They can also recommend solutions such as Xylotol mints (increases saliva) or a combination of anti-bacterial rinse and X-Pur toothpaste.

As you can see dry mouth is not something to be flippant about. That’s what Toothbrush Confidential is all about. Giving you the insiders track on your dental health. Now we’d love to hear from you! What are your tricks and tactics to keep yourself hydrated? Let us know in the comments below!

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