Dental Health and Dry Mouth

Saliva is our body’ natural mouthwash, it’s able to moisten our oral cavity and helps to digest the foods we eat; saliva can also prevent infections, as it helps control the number of bacteria and fungi in our mouth.

Unfortunately, there are diseases that can affect our mouths' normal function; one of these diseases is xerostomia or dry mouth. Elderly are at a higher risk of getting dry mouth; but fortunately, for this disease there are several treatment options.

Dry Mouth Causes

Side Effects In:

Diseases and Infections:

If a patient is diagnose with one of the following conditions, such as:

• Alzheimer's
• Anemia
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Diabetes
• HIV / AIDS
• Hypertension
• Mumps
• Parkinson's disease
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Stroke

When one is diagnosed with any of the diseases mentioned above, there is an increased risk of obtaining dry mouth as a side effect.

Medications:

In some rare cases medications have an allergic reaction in our body, in the case of certain drugs that treat depression, anxiety, pain, allergies or colds; you could developed dry mouth.

Medical Treatments:

Certain surgeries can damage our oral cavity and its surroundings; risk is higher when operating the salivary glands or in patients with certain cancers.
Cancer patients, who undergo chemotherapy treatment, are at higher risk of getting xerostomia, because chemotherapy can reduce the amount of saliva our mouth produced.

Nerve Damage:

Injuries and surgeries to the head and neck area can cause nerve damage and the nerve damage can in some cases result in dry mouth.

Dehydration:

Dehydration is a condition that occurs when our body does not have sufficient water; in this condition, more water is being lost and leaving our body, in contrast to the amount of water we drink. Among the effects caused by dehydration are: blood loss, burns, diarrhea, fever, sweating and xerostomia.

Lifestyle:

If you smoke or breathe through your mouth, you are at a higher risk of reducing the amount of saliva produced and getting dry mouth.

How Dry Mouth affects us

Dry mouth is commonly associated with these symptoms:

• Bad breath
• Difficulty tasting, chewing and/or swallowing
• Difficulty wearing dentures
• Dry feeling in the mouth, throat, tongue
• Frequent thirst
• Mouth sores

In addition to causing the painful symptoms mentioned above, dry mouth increases the risk of gum disease, tooth decay and/or thrush.

Whether you are young or elderly, if you feel any of the symptoms mentioned, our dental clinic advises you to visit your local doctor or dentist; only your doctor can provide an accurate diagnose and offer you the best treatment option for your case.

Xerestomia Treatment Options

There are several treatment options for dry mouth; the treatment option your doctor prescribes will depend on the cause and the deep of the lesion.

If your dry mouth is caused by an infection, your doctor will prescribe medication; however if this medication becomes the caused then your doctor might reduce or change the main ingredient, to adjust to your needs.

When the cause is dehydration, the solution is simple just add more water to your diet.

Regarding the other causes, nerve damage or lifestyle; we advise you visit your dentist or doctor with their advice your can prevent xerostomia and protect your mouth, smile and teeth.

Dental Health and Dry Mouth

For our dentist your oral health is import, we know and understand that there are many diseases that can affect you; however understanding the symptoms, causes and how to prevent these will allow you to live a healthier life. Avoiding certain habits, beverages, medications will reduce the risk of dry mouth; we invite you to read this and other post and if you have not subscribed to our Newsletter, subscribe.

Periodically, we at Sani Dental Group will be posting treatment options for dental procedures, tips to prevent oral diseases and especial offers for all our readers and patients.

The steps and procedures mentioned in this post are procedures available in the medical field; however, not all these treatments and procedures are perform at Sani Dental Group. To confirm if this procedure is perform at our dental clinics, please contact us directly.