Dry Mouth

What is dry mouth?

Dry mouth is a feeling that your mouth is dry. The medical term for dry mouth is xerostomia.

How does it occur?

Saliva helps keep your mouth moist. “Spit” or “drool” is saliva. You make saliva all the time to help keep your mouth moist. As you get older, your salivary glands may make less saliva.

A mouth that feels too dry most often happens because of a medicine you are taking. Medicines that can cause a dry mouth include:

• antidepressants (drugs to treat depression)
• antihistamines (allergy medicine)
• antihypertensives (drugs to lower high blood pressure)
• lipid-lowering drugs (drugs to help lower cholesterol)
• antiparkinsonian drugs (drugs to treat Parkinson's disease)
• analgesics (pain medicines)
• diuretics (drugs to help you get rid of excess fluid)
• proton pump inhibitors (drugs to treat ulcers or GERD)
• tranquilizers (drugs to make you calmer).

Dry mouth also can be caused by:

• disease or infection of a salivary gland
• dehydration (not having enough fluid in your body, perhaps because you are not drinking enough)
• breathing through your mouth because of a stuffy nose
• radiation treatment to the head or neck.

The most common disease causing loss of salivary gland secretions is Sjögren’s syndrome. It occurs more often in older adults and is an autoimmune disorder, which means the body attacks and destroys its own tissue.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of dry mouth include:

• a lack of moisture in your mouth
• a sticky feeling in the mouth
• a mild burning feeling in the mouth
• dry tongue
• cracked lips
• tooth decay
• trouble swallowing or speaking
• a change in how foods taste (food may taste bad) or a loss of taste

How is it diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider or dentist can make the diagnosis by talking with you about your symptoms and medical history and by carefully examining your mouth. Be sure to tell your provider what medicines you are taking, including nonprescription drugs and herbal remedies.

Scans of the salivary glands and blood tests are sometimes used to help identify some conditions that cause dry mouth.

How is it treated?

Treatment depends on how severe the problem is and what is causing it:

• You may need to drink more fluids.
• If your dry mouth is the side effect of medicine you are taking, your healthcare provider may decrease the dosage or give you different drug.
• Your healthcare provider may suggest things you can do to make more saliva. For example, it might help to suck on sugar-free candy, such as lemon drops.
• You can get artificial saliva solutions. Usually you buy them as a spray. You also can get gels that soothe dry gums. The gels can be useful as an overnight treatment.
• Your provider may prescribe medicine to help you make more saliva. A couple of medicines that might be tried are pilocarpine or cevimeline.

How can I take care of myself?

• You can help yourself by:
• eating a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water
• sipping water often, especially when you are talking a lot
• chewing sugarless gum or sucking on sugar-free hard candies to increase saliva production
• using a humidifier in your bedroom at night
• using lip balm for dry, cracked lips
• avoiding mouthwashes containing alcohol because they can dry out the mouth
• practicing good oral hygiene by brushing after meals, seeing your dentist at least twice a year (more often if necessary), and flossing regularly

Good oral hygiene is very important to prevent mouth infections caused by dryness and cracking of the membranes.

You may also want to try special mouthwashes, gum, toothpaste, and moisturizing gels created to help people who have dry mouth. Ask your healthcare provider or dentist about these products.

When should I call my healthcare provider?

Make an appointment to see your healthcare provider or dentist if you have:

• sores in your mouth, on your tongue, or on your gums
• swollen, tender, or bleeding gums
• tooth decay (cavities)
• dry mouth that you notice every day for more than 2 weeks