Dry Mouth and Dental Health

CPAP machine. The continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine helps people with sleep apnea to breathe better and get a more restful night's sleep. A mask fitting over your nose and mouth, or just over nose, is attached to a device by a hose. The machine gives continuous air to your nose or mouth to keep your airways open. 

A common side effect of using a CPAP machine is dry mouth. That's because saliva is released from the salivary glands when they're at a specific pressure. If the pressure in the mouth is higher than the saliva secretion pressure, the flow of saliva can be blocked. CPAP machines often create a higher pressure in the mouth or nose and this could stop the flow of saliva.

Dental retainer. Wearing a retainer can give you dry mouth. That's because your gums get irritated or swell when your retainer is installed. This leads to a reduction in saliva production. Not everyone who wears braces or a retainer has to deal with this, though.

What Are the Symptoms of Dry Mouth?

Common symptoms include:

• A sticky, dry feeling in the mouth
• Frequent thirst
• Sores in the mouth; sores or split skin at the corners of the mouth; cracked lips
• A dry feeling in the throat
• A burning or tingling sensation in the mouth and especially on the tongue
• A dry, red, raw tongue
• Problems speaking or trouble tasting, chewing, and swallowing
• Hoarseness, dry nasal passages, sore throat
• Bad breath

Dry mouth and bad breath

One of saliva's functions is to clean your mouth by removing particles of food and other debris. If you have dry mouth and are making less spit, less of these particles get removed, which can lead to bad breath (halitosis). 

Dry mouth and nausea

Medicines for nausea and vomiting can sometimes cause dry mouth. You might get this from food poisoning, drinking too much alcohol, stomach flu, or cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy, to name just a few causes. 

Treatment for Dry Mouth

Treatment for dry mouth depends on what is causing the problem. Generally, treatment focuses on three areas:

• Managing the medical conditions or drugs causing dry mouth
• Preventing tooth decay
• Increasing the flow of saliva, if possible

We'll examine these areas in more detail below.

Managing Causes of Dry Mouth

If you think your dry mouth is caused by a medication you're taking, talk to your doctor. The doctor may adjust the dose or switch you to a drug that doesn't cause dry mouth.

If the medical condition causing the dry mouth can’t be changed — for example, if the salivary gland has been damaged or is a result of the disease itself, as is common with Sjögren's syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke — treatment will focus on ways to increase saliva flow. 

Preventing Tooth Decay Due to Dry Mouth

Not only does saliva help digest food and make it possible for you to chew and swallow, it's a natural mouth cleanser. Without saliva, tooth decay and gum disease are more likely. If you have a dry mouth, to fight tooth decay and gum disease, you need to be extra careful about following good oral hygiene habits, which consist of:

• Brushing your teeth at least twice a day (but preferably after every meal as well as before bedtime)
• Flossing your teeth every day
• Using a toothpaste that contains fluoride
• Visiting your dentist for a checkup and cleaning at least twice a year; your dentist may recommend a daily fluoride rinse or fluoride gel to keep your teeth healthy.
• Avoiding commercial mouth rinses or mouthwashes that contain alcohol or peroxide. These ingredients will further dry out your mouth.

If you have dry mouth, your doctor may also prescribe an oral rinse to restore mouth moisture. You can get this over the counter in a rinse or spray. There are also toothpastes, mouthwashes, and moisturizing gels just for dry mouth; ask your dentist or doctor about them. If they don't help, your doctor can prescribe a medication that boosts saliva production called Salagen. 

Another prescription drug, Evoxac, is FDA-approved to treat dry mouth in people with Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease linked to dry eyes, dry mouth, dry skin, and muscle pain. (With this condition, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the salivary and tear glands.)

Finally, promising new treatments are being studied. Scientists are working on ways to repair salivary glands that have been damaged and are developing an artificial salivary gland that can be implanted into the body.

How to Avoid Dry Mouth

You can also try these dry mouth remedies, which may increase saliva flow:

• Suck on sugar-free candy or chew sugar-free gum, specifically ones with xylitol. Try to avoid acidic ones like lemon that can soften teeth. 
• Suck on ice chips or sugar-free frozen pops. Never chew ice, since it can damage your teeth. These sucking and chewing actions help stimulate saliva flow. Candies, frozen pops, and gum may soften your teeth's enamel. To reduce the risk of cavities and tooth wear, use them only in moderation.
• Drink plenty of water to help keep your mouth moist and loosen mucus. Carry water with you to sip throughout the day, and keep water by your bed at night.
• Breathe through your nose, not your mouth, as much as possible.
• Use a room vaporizer to add moisture to bedroom air.
• Use a dry mouth spray. These contain xylitol or other ingredients to lubricate your mouth. You can buy them without a prescription.
• Moisten foods with broths, soups, sauces, gravy, creams, and butter or margarine. Eat soft, moist foods that are cool or at room temperature.
• Avoid salty foods, dry foods (such as crackers, dry breads, dry meats, dried fruit, and bananas) and foods and beverages with high sugar content.
• Avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine (like coffee, tea, some colas, and chocolate-containing drinks). Alcohol increases water loss by triggering frequent urination. Alcohol, as well as caffeine, also dries out the mouth. Also avoid acidic beverages such as fruit juices (orange, apple, grape, grapefruit) and tomato juice.

To ease irritation linked with dry mouth:

• Limit spicy or salty foods, as these may cause pain in a dry mouth.
• Quit smoking.
• Use a moisturizer on your lips.
• Use a soft-bristled toothbrush on your teeth and gums; rinse your mouth before and after meals with plain water or a mild mouth rinse (8 ounces of water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda). 

Dry Mouth in Pregnancy

Dry mouth is a common complaint of pregnancy. There are several reasons for this:

Hormonal changes. Pregnancy brings higher levels of estrogen and progesterone, plus more acidity in the mouth, all of which make it drier.

Gingivitis. Gum inflammation (gingivitis) affects 65%-70% of pregnant women.

Morning sickness. This leads to nausea and vomiting, which in turn leads to dry mouth. 

Dehydration. Your body needs more water than usual during pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says you should drink 8 to 12 cups of water a day when you're pregnant.

COVID Dry Mouth

Studies have shown that dry mouth is an early symptom of COVID, occurring before other symptoms like fever, cough, and shortness of breath. 

This is because the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID, enters the salivary glands early on and affects the amount and quality of saliva these glands produce. 

People with COVID may also get dry mouth later on as a side effect of some of the medications used to treat the condition.

Takeaways

When your salivary glands don't make enough saliva or spit, you may get dry mouth (xerostomia). Dry mouth causes include taking certain drugs, pregnancy, certain diseases and conditions, and damage to the salivary glands, among other factors. Treatment depends on the reason for your dry mouth. For instance, if it's due to taking a medication, you could switch to another drug. Sucking on sugar-free candy or gum containing xylitol can help. So can drinking lots of water.

Dry Mouth FAQs

Why is dry mouth a problem?

Dry mouth can make it hard to chew, swallow, talk or wear dentures. Dry mouth also raises your risk of gingivitis (gum disease), tooth decay, and mouth infections, such as thrush. 

Why is my mouth dry even though I drink a lot of water?

You might have a condition like Sjögren’s syndrome or another condition that affect the salivary glands' production of saliva. You also might be a mouth breather or suffering with stress and anxiety. All these can make your mouth dry even if you're drinking a lot of water.

What deficiency causes dry mouth?

Deficiencies in fiber, potassium, vitamin B6, iron, calcium, and zinc can all cause dry mouth.