Dry mouth, or xerostomia, occurs when the salivary glands in your mouth don't produce enough saliva. This condition can lead to discomfort, affect your oral health, and impact your ability to eat and even speak. Saliva is crucial for digesting food, preventing infection by controlling bacteria, and helping to prevent tooth decay by neutralising acids.

Dry mouth can result from various factors, including medication side effects, aging, cancer therapy, nerve damage, other health conditions, and lifestyle factors such as smoking.

Symptoms & Diagnosis:

Symptoms of dry mouth can include a dry feeling in the mouth, tongue or lips, a dry throat, difficulty speaking, swallowing, and bad breath. Diagnosing this condition involves reviewing your medical history and a check-up exam. There are tests that can be arranged to measure the flow of saliva.

Treatment Options:

Treatment options for dry mouth will always depend on the cause. However, the following points are likely to reduce your symptoms.

• Chewing gum - it's is a great way to promote the production of saliva (make sure you choose the sugar free version)

• Staying hydrated - dehydration is often the most common cause and easy to fix.

• Reducing you alcohol consumption.

• Stopping smoking or vaping.

• Good oral hygiene practices - brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste

• Try sleeping with a room humidifier

If you're experiencing symptoms of dry mouth, we're here to help. Book a checkup with one of our dentists or hygienists at Curran Dental and we'll provide personalised care to manage and treat dry mouth effectively.