Your saliva plays an important role that aids your mouth’s overall function and is even a part of natural cavity prevention. Your mouth produces more saliva when you chew food to ensure each bite is lubricated before it passes to digestion. Following eating, small amounts of saliva are produced to wash away the remaining food particles and help you have clear speech throughout the day.
The chronic lack of sufficient saliva is called dry mouth, which is caused by many factors and can result in a variety of oral health problems.
Certain prescription medications have side effects such as reduced saliva production, and while it’s important to maintain the appropriate prescription dose, you can find other ways to provide your mouth with adequate moisture. Some treatments for dry mouth include periodically drinking water throughout the day or chewing a sugarless gum or even asking your primary physician if you should take a saliva substitute.
If you struggled with chronic dehydration, you may also develop dry mouth problems such as cavities, especially if you frequently use alcohol and tobacco products. These habits can impede the ability of the saliva glands from producing adequate saliva. Similarly, the development of medical conditions such as problems with the blood health, kidneys or liver or oral and pharyngeal cancer can reduce saliva flow.
If you have problems with chronic dry mouth in Tucson, Arizona, we encourage you to call Caring Smiles Studio at 520-809-6100 to schedule an appointment with our dentist, Dr. Karen Randall.