What is Dry Mouth?

What is Dry Mouth?
Dry mouth means you don't have enough saliva, or spit, to keep your mouth moist. Everyone has a dry mouth once in a while, especially if you're nervous, upset or under stress. But if you have a dry mouth all or most of the time, it can be uncomfortable and can lead to more serious health problems or indicate that a more serious medical condition may exist. That's because saliva does more than just keep the mouth wet -it helps digest food, protects teeth from decay, prevents infection by controlling bacteria in the mouth, and makes it possible for you to chew and swallow.

There are several reasons that the glands that produce saliva, called the salivary glands, might not function properly. These include:

  • Side effects of some medications - over 400 medicines can cause dry mouth, including antihistamines, decongestants, pain killers, diuretics and medicines for high blood pressure and depression.
  • Disease - diseases that affect the salivary glands, such as diabetes, Hodgkin's, Parkinson's disease, HIV/AIDS and Sjogren's syndrome, may lead to dry mouth.
  • Radiation therapy - the salivary glands can be damaged if your head or neck are exposed to radiation during cancer treatment. The loss of saliva can be total or partial, permanent or temporary.
  • Chemotherapy - drugs used to treat cancer can make saliva thicker, or "ropey," causing your mouth to feel dry.
  • Menopause - changing hormone levels affect the salivary glands, often leaving menopausal and post-menopausal women with a persistent feeling of dry mouth.
  • Smoking - many pipe, cigar and heavy cigarette smokers experience dry mouth.

To read the entire article , please visit Colgate.com
1200 NE 99th St.
Vancouver, WA 98665
(360) 356-7096
SheronDental.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Strep Throat and Tonsils: What's the Connection?

Image
If your throat is sore and your tonsils feel swollen, it can be hard to know if you have strep throat or if it's something else. The good news is that your doctor can help your figure out if you're experiencing strep throat. Read on to find out what causes strep throat, its symptoms, and the connection between strep throat and tonsils. What Is Strep Throat? Strep throat is a bacterial infection that makes your throat feel sore and scratchy. It accounts for just a small percentage of sore throats. According to the Mayo Clinic , the specific bacteria that causes strep throat is group A Streptococcus (group A strep). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out that the same bacteria can cause scarlet fever and rheumatic fever, especially if untreated. So how can you get strep throat? Group A strep bacteria are highly contagious and can spread through airborne droplets if someone with the infection coughs or sneezes near you or through sharing food or drinks with som...
Read more

Cavity Fillings: What to Expect, Types & Potential Problems

Image
The process of filling cavities is a fairly simple and straightforward one that can be done right at your dentist's office. Filling Cavities: What to Expect You should expect to be at your dentist's office for around an hour. This gives him or her enough time to take x-rays if needed, talk to you about the procedure and complete the dental work. Before filling cavities, your dentist will numb your teeth, gums and surrounding skin to avoid and lessen discomfort during the procedure. Next, he or she will drill out the decay in the tooth and replace it with a filling. This process only takes a few minutes. Once you're done, your mouth will probably remain numb for a few more hours. There aren’t any significant risks associated with filling cavities, but be sure to keep your dentist’s contact information on hand in case you have any questions or complications. The most common use of tooth fillings is to fill a cavity in the tooth. But tooth fillings also can be used to repair d...
Read more

Fluoridation

Image
Adding fluoride to public water supplies is a safe and effective way to prevent tooth decay and has played a major role in in improving the public’s dental health for more than 70 years. "Fluoride’s effectiveness in preventing tooth decay extends throughout one’s life, resulting in fewer—and less severe̵—cavities," says former Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy. Read on to learn more about what the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has proclaimed as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century. What Is Community Water Fluoridation?     Fluoridation of community water supplies is simply the adjustment of the existing, naturally occurring fluoride in drinking water to an optimal level for the prevention of tooth decay. Think of it this way: Water that has been fortified with fluoride is similar to fortifying milk with Vitamin D, table salt with iodine, and bread and cereals with folic acid.  The number of communities who make th...
Read more