Dry Mouth?

   A dry mouth can be miserable. Saliva also has several important functions.

• Lubrication- it makes you feel better, makes it possible to swallow food, and speak.
• Digestion- it actually has enzymes that start digestion.
• Cleaning- it helps to wash away food debris. It chemically buffers acid attacks from plaque or from acidic food or drink (Diet Coke!) Decay rates can skyrocket without enough saliva.
• It somehow helps keep the 1,000 different kinds of bacteria in your mouth in balance. Yeast infections and bad breath can result from imbalances.

Causes of dry mouth

• The most common cause in younger people is a medication side effect. This is possible with many medications.
• Sometimes the salivary glands just don't work like they used to.
• Detergents in toothpaste are drying.
• Diseases like Sjogren's.
• Radiation and other medical treatments can harm salivary glands.
• Lifestyle- smoking, mouth breathing due to tonsils, congestion etc.

Solutions (or at least aids)

• Water, sips all day long, a sip with every bite at meals, carry a bottle (or a flask!)
• Use a toothpaste without detergent. Detergents make the toothpaste foam. Americans like foaming cleaners, scrubbing bubbles! It's usually listed on the ingredients as a laureth sulfate. It's great for cleaning grease but not really helpful for toothpaste. Almost all of them have detergents. One that doesn't, and is widely available, is biotene. 
• biotene has other products like sprays, mouthwash, rinses and gum. They all contain helpful lubricants and enzymes.
  
• Mints and gum will stimulate saliva production. For heaven's sake, sugarless! 
• Oramoist is a long lasing patch that sticks to gums. It gradually releases lubricants and stimulates salivation.
  
• There are prescription medications, such as Salagen, that can stimulate salivary glands. Of course it won't work if the glands don't work at all.
• If the cause is a medication, sometimes a different one can be tried, or the dose adjusted.
• Use a vaporizer to humidify bedroom air. 

    Don't ignore a dry mouth. The dental consequences can be severe, and some of the treatments are pretty easy.