What is dry mouth or xerostomia?
Dry mouth, also called xerostomia, is a persistent feeling that there is not enough saliva in your mouth, making talking and eating difficult or embarrassing. Saliva lubricates and protects your mouth from infection by bacteria, from chemicals in the atmosphere and from hot food and drinks. Saliva coats your teeth and protects them. Reduced saliva flow, which causes dry mouth, can cause dental decay and contribute to bad breath.
Do I have dry mouth?
The effects of dry mouth may be severe, moderate or mild. Mild sufferers of dry
mouth are unlikely to even know they are affected. Maybe you’ve noticed food sticking
to the roof of your mouth and food just won’t go down? You probably see your dry
mouth symptoms as normal, and simply try drinking more.
If you’re a moderate dry mouth sufferer, you may also be unaware of it, even though
you’re licking your lips constantly and finding that your mouth feels sticky or
dry. You might be avoiding certain foods, and denture-wearers will find that their
dentures don’t stay in place. You probably try to alleviate symptoms of dry mouth
by drinking more, sucking sweets or applying lip balm.
Severe sufferers of dry mouth will find that dry mouth symptoms have a serious impact
on their quality of life. As a severe sufferer of chronic dry mouth, you may experience
a sore mouth or tongue when eating, cracked lips, blisters and mouth ulcers. Your
dentist may be seeing rampant decay, serious plaque levels and food debris, fungal
infections, a “pebbled” tongue and red and shiny tongue and cheeks.
What are the symptoms of dry mouth?
Dry mouth sufferers often don't notice that they are suffering from dry mouth until
their saliva flow has already dropped by 50%. Symptoms of dry mouth include: a feeling
of soreness in the mouth; stickiness to the touch and cracking at the corners of
the mouth; a red and parched mouth or pebbled look to the tongue; difficulty eating
dry or spicy foods; food just not tasting like it used to; difficulty speaking;
a tendency to wake up more often during the night; bad breath.
What are the causes of dry mouth?
Reduction in saliva flow, which results in dry mouth and throat, may have one or more of five underlying causes:
1.) Medicines. The more medicines you take, the more likely you are to suffer from chronic dry mouth. Many everyday medicines cause dry mouth, including over-the-counter cold remedies and antihistamines. Anti-depressants, some beta-blockers, anti-hypertensives and diuretics can also be common dry mouth causes.
2) Age. As people get older, they tend to take more medicines;
half of all Americans aged 60-plus take three or more prescription medicines on
a regular basis. This is the primary reason why older people are more likely to
suffer from chronic dry mouth. Older people are more likely to suffer from cancer
and Sjögren's Syndrome.
3) Sjögren’s Syndrome This chronic condition, in which the body’s
immune system malfunctions and attacks the body’s own tear and salivary glands,
is a major cause of dry mouth.
4) Diabetes. All types of diabetes can cause increased urination
or an underlying metabolic or hormonal problem, which results in dry mouth.
5) Cancer and Its Treatment. Neck and head cancer patients who
have been surveyed ranked dry mouth as one of their most distressing symptoms. Radiotherapy
is the worst culprit, affecting the salivary glands and causing a near-total reduction
in saliva flow. Many never regain their full flow.