What is dry mouth?
Dry mouth 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 can damage mouth tissue, 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 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 as normal, and simply try drinking more.
Do I have dry mouth?
Moderate sufferers may also be unaware of the condition, even though they are licking their lips constantly and finding that their 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 will probably be trying to alleviate the problem by drinking more, sucking sweets or applying lip balm.
Do I have dry mouth?
Severe sufferers will find that dry mouth is having a serious impact on their quality of life. You will be experiencing a sore, burning 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?
Sufferers often don't notice that they are suffering from dry mouth until their saliva flow has already dropped by 50 per cent. Symptoms can include: a feeling of soreness in the mouth, stickiness to the touch and cracking at the corners of the mouth; the mouth looking red and parched, or having a 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 or bad breath.
What are the causes of dry mouth?
Reduction in saliva flow can be caused by four underlying causes: 1) Medicines. The more medicines you take, the more likely you are to suffer from dry mouth. Many everyday medicines cause dry mouth, including some over-the-counter antihistamines. Anti-depressants, some beta-blockers, anti-hypertensives and diuretics can also contribute to dry mouth.
What are the causes of dry mouth?
2) Sjögren’s Syndrome and diabetes are two common causes of dry mouth. Sjögren’s Syndrome is a condition where the body’s immune system malfunctions and attacks the body’s own tear and salivary glands. Diabetes, meanwhile, can cause increased urination or an underlying metabolic or hormonal problem which results in dry mouth.
What are the causes of dry mouth?
3) Age. As people get older they tend to take more medicines; nearly half (43%) of over 65's are currently taking over five medicines at any one time. This is the primary reason why older people are more likely to suffer from dry mouth. Older people are also more likely to suffer from cancer and Sjögren's Syndrome.
What are the causes of dry mouth?
4) 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.
Other sources of information
General
- BDA (British Dental Association)
- NHS Choices Homepage
- British Society of Dental Hygiene & Therapy
- British Dental Health Foundation
General mouth hygiene
Sjögren’s Syndrome
Dry Mouth
Diabetes
Cancer
Bad breath
Aging
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