Your mouth has one self-cleansing feature that maybe you aren’t aware of: saliva. You may have noticed that when you eat (or think about eating), your saliva ups production right away. This happens because saliva rinses food particles away while also helping your teeth break down the food in your mouth. Without saliva to do a rinse cycle, your mouth gets left with bacteria and is more prone to decay, infection, and bad breath. Dry mouth is to blame, but you can take some steps to beat dry mouth before it has a chance to ruin your smile.
1) Chew sugar-free gum
Sugar-free gum and sugar-free candy are great for boosting your saliva throughout the day. Keep a package in your car and work bag to help you remember to chew!
2) Drink plenty of water
Dry mouth is often associated with dehydration. Drinking plenty of water will increase your saliva production and add in keeping your mouth nice and moist.
3) Sleep with humidifier
A cool-mist humidifier while you sleep is another great way to hydrate your body and increase saliva production.
4) Check your prescriptions
A huge number of prescriptions have dry mouth as a side effect. Check with your doctor to see if you can switch a troublesome prescription for something else.
5) Make an appointment
If you are having trouble getting dry mouth symptoms under control, it’s time to make an appointment to see us. There could be something more serious going on that we can take care of in the office.
If you are suffering from dry mouth, you need to do what you can to rid yourself of those symptoms so that you can avoid the decay and infection associated with low saliva production. Contact us today to set up an appointment. Bring us your questions about dry mouth symptoms and how to defeat them. We’d love to help you get a happier, healthier smile!
Dr. David A. Smith explains his vision of life-changing dentistry for Really Smile Dental: