MORE: 7 Reasons You’re Always Thirsty According to Robert H. Hill II, DDS, dry mouth affects a wide variety of people, including older adults whose mouths naturally dry out over time, as well as people who have diabetes, depression, or an autoimmune disease known as Sjögren’s syndrome. For cancer patients, dry mouth is often the result of chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and a consultation with both the oncologist and the dentist is advised. Very often, mouth dryness is a side effect of prescription drugs, says Hill. Hundreds of medications cause mouth dryness, including commonly prescribed beta-blockers, diuretics, anticholinergics, antihistamines, antidepressants, and some pain killers. As the population ages and prescription drugs become more common, dry mouth is more prevalent. “The good news is we are seeing patients who, at age 90, still have all their own teeth,” says Hill. The downside is that the medications that are allowing us to live longer may be causing the discomfort of dry mouth. Here are some dry mouth treatment suggestions that’ll help relieve dryness, preserve soft tissue, and prevent tooth decay.
Chew Sugarless Gum
Chewing stimulates the salivary glands. Try sugarless gum that contains xylitol, a sweetening agent that reduces cavity-causing bacteria, says Dan Peterson, DDS. He also recommends Trident Advantage gum, which contains Recaldent, a remineralizing agent that adds calcium and phosphate to the teeth. (Find out more benefits of chewing gum.)
Don’t Forget To Drink
Quenching your dry mouth with regular sips of water can make a big difference, says Hill. Swig on bottled water during the day to keep the fluid flowing. Everyone should drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day, says Anne Bosy, MEd, MSc. The more active you are, the more water you need. If you’re exercising at the gym, take along a bottle of water. Have an all-day meeting with a key client? Put pitchers of water on the table. MORE: 25 Sassy Water Recipes
Rinse Away The Pain
Chronic dryness will make your mouth more easily irritated and sore, because one of the primary chores of saliva is to neutralize the erosive acids from plaque. Rinse your mouth with a mixture of 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and 1 cup of warm water for some oral comfort. The soothing combination neutralizes acids and draws out infection from gum tissues.
Give Hard Candy A Try
Suck a piece of sugarless hard candy to stimulate saliva flow, says Peterson, who recommends citrus- or mint-flavored candies. They stimulate more saliva, and are an easy option for dry mouth treatment.
Munch On Some Veggies
Diets high in fiber and bulk also seem to stimulate salivary glands. Bosy suggests eating fibrous foods, such as raw carrots, celery, and apples at mealtimes and as snacks. These rough-textured foods also clean your tongue as you chew and swallow, which is good for overall oral hygiene.
Say No To Sweets
Limit your intake of sweet, sticky, sugary foods if you’re experiencing dry mouth. Your lack of saliva will keep these foods stuck to your teeth, increasing your risk of cavities, says Peterson. MORE: 7 Weird Things Your Teeth Are Trying To Tell You
Ditch The Cocktail And Skip The Smoke
Hill says that two common vices—alcohol and cigarettes—can make a bad thing worse. “You should certainly quit and see if it helps the dryness,” he says. (Here’s 8 things that happen when you stop drinking alcohol.)
Choose Your Toothpaste Wisely
When saliva production is low, your risk of cavities and gum disease is high. Peterson recommends brushing at least twice a day with an extra-strength fluoride toothpaste approved by the American Dental Association. If you have mouth dryness, don’t use toothpaste that contains the foaming agent sodium lauryl sulfate, because it can irritate gum tissue, says Peterson. He recommends trying Rembrandt’s Natural or Biotene’s Dry Mouth Toothpaste. Here’s a fluoride-treatment program Peterson recommends for extra tooth protection. After brushing and right before bed, apply toothpaste with your toothbrush or a cotton swab to your gums and teeth. Let it sit for 1 minute, then swish for 1 minute, moving the paste onto all your teeth and gums. Spit out the excess paste, but don’t rinse your mouth. Go to bed with the fluoride residue on these surfaces. Do this again in the morning, and don’t eat or drink anything for 30 minutes after this routine. This procedure should be done one or two times a day for 4 to 6 weeks. MORE: 15 Things Dentists Never Do
Be Selective About Mouthwash
“If you have gum disease, your dentist may recommend that you use something antiseptic, like Listerine,” says Hill. “But if you also have dryness, you’ll want to avoid mouthwash containing alcohol.” There are over-the-counter products that do not contain alcohol. For added tooth protection, look for an alcohol-free mouthwash that also contains fluoride, says Hill.
Change Your Toothbrush Frequently
When your toothbrush has a buildup of toothpaste in between the bristles, it’s time to make the investment in a new one, says Bosy. Over time, toothbrushes can harbor bacteria and infect your mouth with the bacteria that cause bad breath. Spending a few bucks for a new toothbrush every couple of months is a sound investment to keep bacteria and bad breath away. MORE: 6 Mistakes You Make Every Time You Brush Your Teeth
Brush And Floss More Frequently
Saliva plays many roles, from making it easier to speak to jumpstarting the digestion of the food we eat. Another key task of saliva is to keep the teeth clean and free of debris and plaque, says Hill. Saliva coats and lubricates the teeth, making it more difficult for plaque to attach and do its damage. If you are lacking in saliva, it’s even more important to practice impeccable oral hygiene. “You may want to floss and brush up to three times a days,” says Hill, “after every meal.” (Here’s what happens if you only brush your teeth once a day.)
Soak Your Dentures
Dentures make people with dry mouth more susceptible to infection from yeast organisms, which adhere to the plastic. Soak your dentures overnight in 1 part chlorine beach to 10 parts water to prevent infection, says Peterson. Rinse thoroughly in the morning before putting them in.
Moisturize The Air
Use a cool-air vaporizer in your bedroom to get some much-needed humidity in the air and to cut down on mouth dryness at night, says Peterson. If you’re a mouth breather, make an effort to breathe through your nose at night to prevent saliva from evaporating while you sleep.
Moisten Up With A Multivitamin
A number of vitamin deficiencies, particularly riboflavin and vitamin A, can rob your mouth of moisture. Pernicious anemia from a vitamin B12deficiency can also cause mouth dryness. If that’s the case, try a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement to battle the dryness, says Peterson.
If All Else Fails, Fake It
For better overall comfort and lubrication of your mouth, Bosy suggests over-the-counter saliva substitutes in the form of rinses, gels, and sprays for people who have chronically dry mouth or little or no salivary action. These saliva substitutes include many of the same enzymes and minerals as real saliva and help keep mouth tissues lubricated. Use 2 or 3 times a day (one of those times being just before bedtime). MORE: 12 Things Your Dentist Knows About You Just By Looking In Your Mouth
Dry Mouth Kitchen Cures
A dry mouth can make foods with little moisture go down like pencil shavings, so add sauces and gravies to perk up drier foods and make them more palatable, says Peterson. Drinking fluids frequently throughout a meal will increase the moisture content of your mouth, make food easier to swallow, and improve taste.
When To Go To A Dentist About Your Dry Mouth
Any time you notice that your mouth is dryer than usual for more than a few days (for instance, while getting over a cold), give your dentist a call, says Hill. “If there is any medical reason for the problem, your dentist can connect with your physician to go over your medications and health history,” he says. There’s no reason to wait until you know you have a problem.
Panel Of Advisors
Anne Bosy, M.ED, MSC, is the chief scientist and founder of the Orafresh System in Toronto, Canada. Also known as the “Breath Doc,” Bosy is recognized internationally as a world-class expert in the field of bad breath research and has treated thousands of patients with dry mouth associated with bad breath. Robert H. Hill II, DDS, is a dentist in Averill Park, New York. He has been in private practice since 1978. Dan Peterson, DDS, is a dentist in Gering, Nebraska. He has been in practice for more than 25 years and has treated hundreds of patients with dry mouth syndrome.
