Health Tips

In the current humid weather, do you often feel that your mouth is dry?

What is dry mouth?

Dry mouth or xerostomia is a condition when there is not enough saliva made by the salivary glands in your mouth to keep it wet. It is often due to

• dehydration
• side effects of certain medications
• cancer treatments
• certain disease such as Sjogren's syndrome, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes mellitus 
• nerve damage
• smoking or alcohol 
• excessive caffeine intake
• use of marijuana

What are the symptoms?

• Sticky, dry feeling in the mouth
• Dry/sore throat, hoarseness
• Dry, raw, red tongue
• Bad breath
• Speaking, chewing and swallowing difficulty
• Change in sense of taste
• Frequent thirst

Complications:

• Mouth sores
• Oral thrush

• Increased plaque, tooth decay and gum disease
• Cracked lips

What shall I do about it?

Dry mouth is usually temporary and treatable. In most cases, one can prevent and relieve the symptoms as below:

• Drink more water
• Breathe through the nose
• Use a humidifier to add moisture to the bedroom air
• Quit smoking
• Avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks
• Rinse with alcohol free mouthwash
• Limit intake of sugar and salt
• Use an over-the-counter artificial saliva substitute
• Chew on sugar-free gum or suck on sugar-free hard candy

Dry mouth is an uncomfortable condition of many causes. Take care of your oral health and talk with your dentist if you have issues. If you think the medications you're taking are causing your dry mouth or you start to have other symptoms which may be an underlying condition, kindly make an appointment with a doctor.

References:

1. What to know about dry mouth | Healthline
2. Dry mouth | Mayo Clinic
3. Dental health and dry mouth | WebMD

Image credit:

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2. https://media4.giphy.com/media/3o6ZtdaNTQ7cQu5rIQ/200.gif 
3. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSUWUaMH7U1Jx7ExPlnix_PgofzLnlh-yI25THJt2RGAr8nQnblFLyk23__KZyNU1g-jz4&usqp=CAU
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Written by

Dr Amirah Ekhsan