X is for Xerostomia

Ever get the feeling that your tongue is stuck to the roof of your mouth and your lip is sticking to your teeth?  These are just a couple of the annoying things we find when our mouths go dry. It may be that you are about to do some public speaking- the most common most stressful situation or that you are just a bit dehydrated. 

Xerostomia is the name given for the description  of a condition which manifests itself  with symptoms including a dry mouth, cough and difficulty in chewing and swallowing. 

 

 

Saliva is your mouths best friend and some of the functions it fulfils are lubrication, digestion, helps you swallow, neutralises acid, contains antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals and the minerals in your saliva help to repair the tooth surface when acid has been present. It is an amazing substance and there can be many dental problems when your saliva rate is reduced. 

There are several medical conditions which can affect our saliva production and Sjogrens syndrome is one of these. It is an auto immune condition and some patients find that they have other auto immune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis as well. 

Over the last few years we have seen a gradual increase in dry mouth as certain medications reduce the production of saliva some more than other. These include:

Levothyroxine - used to treat thyroid conditions

Bendroflumethiazide - this is a diuretic drug which helps to reduce excess fluid

Furosemide-also diuretic and helps to  improve hypertension

Citalopram - used to treat depression and also some muscle pains

What do we notice?

Apart from asking you directly about your health, there are some signs which tell us if your mouth is dry and these include our dental mirror sticking to the inside of your cheek, frothy saliva with lots of bubbles in it, low flow rate and perhaps even bits of food debris which your saliva would normally have cleared away. 

What can you do about it and what can we do to help.

The most important thing it to have fantastic oral hygiene! Don't give plaque the opportunity to settle on the surfaces of your teeth and we will find the best products and techniques to help you do this. 

Check your diet. You may be more prone to decay so avoid having anything between meals that is sweet or may contain hidden sugars.

Use a high fluoride toothpaste such as Colgate's Duraphat 5000 which can be recommended by your dentist. 

Biotene gel and toothpaste are also very effective against dry mouth. 

Consider using a fluoride mouthwash after lunchtime so it will help repair any acid damage on the surfaces of your teeth more effectively.

Consider using products which contain Xylitol. This is a fantastic product which helps stop plaque building up on your teeth and we can find this in sugar free chewing gum, mouthwashes and lozenges.

We can also apply high fluoride varnish to any vulnerable surfaces on your teeth.

There are several great  artificial saliva replacement products for dry mouth on the market and they include Salivary Orthana which can be prescribed and comes in the form of an oral spray, which is a pump  dispenser, mouthwash and lozenges.  

Keep well hydrated!  but aim for longer drinks of water as you want to keep what saliva there is in the mouth- dont drink it away!

Let our Absolute team know if you feel that your mouth is dry so we can help!!