Every body needs saliva to moisten, cleanse our mouths and digest food; saliva also protects one against infection by controlling growth of bacteria and fungi in the mouth. When we don’t produce enough saliva even to keep our mouths moist – this condition is referred to as a dry mouth. Dry mouths are very uncomfortable and if this condition occurs most of the time then this shows that a more serious medical condition is impeding. However, in some situations one may experience this problem and it’s caused by being nervous, upset or under stress.
Saliva not only does it keeping the mouth wet but also it helps digest food and protects our teeth from decay. Not to mention controlling pathogens and making it possible for us to chew and swallow food.
There are many causes of a dry mouth and in a greater number of cases seeking an advice from an expert is indeed worthwhile so as to diagnose the real cause and cure it. Since the cause is not one, so are the modes of curing. Discussed are some of the major causes of a dry mouth and ways of curing them:
Insufficient water intake –
This is usually the commonest, the salivary glands requires water to produce saliva that nourishes our mouths. Taking less of drinking water will not stimulate the same – thus to prevent mouth dryness one should drink water and juices as often especially so after a physically involving activity.
Disorder of the salivary glands –
When the salivary glands are out of order, no amount of drinking water can be sufficient to reverse the situation. It is very much in order for one get a drug prescription from the dentist to help the glands work better or the dentist may recommend use of the artificial saliva. People with gland problems are equally advised to chew sugarless gum so as to stimulate the saliva flow whenever a dry sensation bites; oral moisturizers can also work for these type of people, they bring relief to the mouth likewise one may take vegetables or carrots.
Medicine side effects –
Certain drugs can bring about oral dehydration, more than 400 drugs being used in the market today have the potential to cause our salivary glands not to function as required especially so if not taken to the prescribed dosage. Top in the list of these medicines includes painkillers, decongestants, diuretics and tranquilizers. If the dryness is drug caused, then one should refrain from that drug in favor of the alternative or regulate the dosage accordingly.
Smoking –
Smokers experience a dry mouth because the cigarette smoke starves the oxygen supply. It equally raises the acidity of the mouth which in turn dries the oral tissues. Cigar taking not only increases oral dehydration but also accelerates the growth of oral bacteria that results to bad breath. To manage this condition, smokers should adopt a culture of chewing a gum during and after smoking to maintain constant flow of oxygen and saliva in the oral cavity.
In the case of general lifestyle, people suffering from this condition should sip water or sugarless drinks quite often and avoid certain drinks that have caffeine – coffee, some sodas and tea, which increases the mouth dryness.
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