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Dry mouth is the condition of not having
enough saliva to keep your mouth wet. It is known as
xerostomia
Saliva is necessary to help protect the
teeth in these important ways:
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Saliva constantly flushes the mouth
to clear food debris that may act as a food supply for the
bacteria in plaque. |
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It reduces the pH (acidity) of the
waste products produced by plaque which helps to limit tooth
decay by these acid attacks. |
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Saliva is the source of systemic
fluorides and minerals needed for the remineralization of
damaged dental enamel. |
| It helps digest
food |
| It prevents infection by
controlling bacteria and fungi in the mouth |
| It makes it possible for
you to chew and swallow
Saliva does not flow evenly through the
mouth. There are saliva "highways", such as the tongue
side of the lower molars, where the flow is greater and
faster. There are saliva "byways" such as the check side
of the upper incisors where to flow is less and slower.
The result is that plaque will be more cavity causing on the
byways than the highways of the mouth.
Saliva covers the teeth and gums with a
protein film. Stimulated saliva offers more buffering
protection than non-stimulated saliva. This is why can often help prevent caries.
Without enough saliva you can
develop tooth day or other infections in your mouth and you
would limit your nutritional intake if you could not chew or
swallow certain foods.
Dry mouth can: |
| Cause difficulties in
tasting, chewing, swallowing, and speaking
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| Increase your chance of
developing dental decay and other infections in the
mouth
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| Be a sign of certain
diseases and conditions
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| Be caused by certain
medications or medical treatments |
Symptoms
include:
| A sticky, dry feeling in
the mouth
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| Trouble chewing,
swallowing, tasting, or speaking
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| A burning feeling in the
mouth
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| A dry feeling in the
throat
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| Cracked lips
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| A dry, tough tongue
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| Mouth sores
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| An infection in the
mouth |
| Decay, when there is not
an adequate supply of saliva, the rate of tooth decay
increases rapidly |
Most often, chronic dry mouth is caused
by:
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Side effect of drug therapy.
More than 400 medicines can cause the salivary glands to make
less saliva. Medications used to treat hypertension,
anxiety, depression or psychosis cause the most
difficulty. Antihistamines, antispasmodics,
cancer-chemotherapy drugs, decongestants, and muscle relaxants
often cause dry mouth. |
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Health conditions such as
extensive radiation therapy to the face and neck can cause
severe dry mouth. |
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Many disease effect saliva flow:
Sjogren's syndrome*, bacterial and viral infections, poorly
controlled diabetes, salivary-gland stones, tumors,
Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, anxiety, HIV/AIDS,
depression, Bell's palsy, and Parkinson's disease.
Alzheimer's and stroke can not feel the wetness in their
mouth. |
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Chemotherapy drugs that are used to
treat cancer can make saliva thicker causing the mouth to feel
dry. |
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Nerve damage from an injury to the
head or neck that tell salivary glands not to make
saliva. |
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Attachment loss from periodontal
disease or who have had root caries are especially vulnerable
to the adverse effects of xerostomia. |
Dry mouth is not a normal part of aging. So if you
think you have dry mouth, see your dentist or physician.
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