The Cause of Dry Mouth and What to Do

There are a number of reasons that you may be experiencing a dry mouth, and not all are linked up to fear of public speaking! It can be uncomfortable to deal with on a regular basis, and can lead to a variety of issues if left too long. The lack of saliva, or dry mouth, can cause dental decay, pain and discomfort, so it is important to acknowledge the top causes of this and possible ways to avoid it.

Smoking and Drinking

Have you found that your mouth is quite parched after happy hour is over? That may be because alcohol aggravates the symptoms of dry mouth. If you couple cigarettes with your drink, then you could be in for a rough time. Smoking can slow down saliva production, so when paired with alcohol it can really cause some oral pain. More than that, it can give you pretty bad breath too. The best way to avoid dry mouth in this case is by ditching the cigarettes all together. At the same time, you will be lessening your chance of tooth decay, oral cancers, as well as lung cancer and heart diseases.

Medication

If your mouth is noticeably drier after you begin a new medication, ensure that you reach out to your doctor or dentist about the side effects! If the medication is necessary, you may just have to work through the uncomfortableness that you’re experiencing by staying hydrated or promoting saliva production through chewing on some sugar free gum.

Dehydration

Feeling thirsty and parched? The reason for it may be that you simply aren’t drinking enough water in your day, which is being showed with your dry mouth. Dehydration is caused by you not putting enough fluids back into your body which can cause many issues, including issues with saliva production. This can cause other issues to arise such as fever, sweating and in some cases vomiting. To avoid all of this, just make sure you are drinking enough water from day to day! The recommended amount is 2 litres a day.

You may be brushing it off, but a dry mouth can cause larger problems down the line if it isn’t taken care of properly. Oral dryness can lead to sores and infection if left long enough, so it shouldn’t be ignored. Keep on top of it, and make sure that if it persists that you speak to your dentist.