Dry mouth is a symptom rather than a disease. It is estimated that nearly 10% of the population have this symptom and about 70% of these patients with dry mouth have some troubles. Dry mouth may be a sign of health problems or a side effect of the medication. As a result, quite a few people desire to learn how to get rid of dry mouth. You can read the article below for more knowledge of dry mouth.
Table of Contents
Signs of dry mouth:-
- Irritability, dryness of oral mucosa and sometimes burning sensation, causing the loss of taste
- Difficulty in chewing, swallowing and speaking
- Difficulty in using dentures.
- Being subject to getting tooth decay and periodontal disease
- Having chapped mucosal membrane, especially lips, leading to bleeding.
- Salivary gland infections
- Infection of the mucous membranes that rarely occur and is usually caused by oral thrush.
Causes of dry mouth:-
The secretion of saliva in a small amount will cause dry mouth. Saliva is produced from cells on the inside of the lips and palate. There are many salivary glands, but mainly three salivary glands in the mouth: gland under the tongue, a gland near the jaw bone and gland on both cheeks. The salivary secretion is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. As a rule, it stimulates the Parasympathetic Nervous System to increase salivary flow and trigger the sympathetic nervous system to reduce salivary secretion. Daytime changes also affect this state. For example, in the dark and during sleep, the salivation will decrease.
Primary Causes:
- The absence of salivary glands (it is a rare case)
- Salivary gland infections due to virus (for example, mumps) germs and fungus
- Autoimmune salivary glands gradually destroy salivary gland tissues. Consequently, it reduces salivation.
- Salivary gland contraction due to radiation therapy for head and neck cancer
- Salivary gland stones
- Tumour
Secondary cause:
- Dehydration: bleeding, urination, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating a lot, diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, heart failure, hemolytic-uremic syndrome.
- Drugs: antidepressants, tranquilizers, antibiotics, diuretics, some antihypertensive drugs, migraine drugs, antiemetics, antiparkinson medication and antispasmodics.
- Anemia: anemia due to iron deficiency and malignant anemia.
- Some other diseases include bone marrow transplantation, endocrine disorders, stress, anxiety, depression, and nutrient deficiency.
How to get rid of dry mouth:-
The daily oral care and a healthy diet also have a significant contribution to the treatment of dry mouth. In particular, you should:
- Avoid the foods high in sugar and acid because they can increase the risk of tooth decay. Your daily meals should include plenty of green vegetables, fresh fruits, meat, cheese, and fat.
- Reduce your intake of caffeine that can make your mouth drier.
- Keep away from alcoholic beverages and cigarettes: When having symptoms of sore and burning throat, you should limit the use of wine, beer, and tobacco.
- Brush your teeth with the toothpaste with fluoride to prevent tooth decay.
- Do not use the mouthwash containing alcohol because it can dry your mouth. Instead, it is advisable to rinse your mouth with dilute salt water every day to reduce inflammation and clean your mouth.
- Note that you need to clean the tongue after brushing your teeth to prevent bacteria staying on the tongue, causing bad breath.
- Regularly use dental floss to clean your teeth after the meals
- Keep your mouth moist by drinking a little water during the day
- If you use dentures, please make these teeth fit and wash them every day
- Oral hygiene plays an important role, but you are not encouraged to take excessive mouthwash because some of them will dry the throat.
- Supplement the body with nutrients: When the body is not supplied with a sufficiency of nutrients, the resistance will reduce. Therefore, it is essential to supplement necessary nutrients, especially types of fruits.
- Go to the dentist at least twice a year to have an oral test and remove plaque to avoid having tooth decay
Home remedies for dry mouth:-
Soft and watery food
Natural soft foods for those who have a dry mouth consist of chicken meat, fish, butter, cream soup, cheese, yogurt, canned fruits, crushed tomatoes, well-cooked spaghetti, cooked grains, cream, cake, and the smoothie.
Honey and lemon
The mixture of lemon and honey helps to reduce the dryness of the throat and makes you feel more comfortable. You dilute them with warm water for drinking three times a day. After a few weeks of taking honey and lemon, symptoms of dry mouth will gradually decrease.
Create the humidity for the air:-
You can place a small basin of water or a small fish tank in the room to regulate the moisture. Too low humidity can cause the dryness of the mouth to get worse.
Aloe vera
Drinking a cup of juice extracted from aloe leaves daily can make the throat cooler and prevent throat irritation. Besides, it contributes to maintaining the amount of saliva in the mouth and reducing the symptoms of dry mouth.
Drink enough water
An adequate supply of water to the body will help regulate the production and secretion of saliva, thus, preventing dry mouth. Experts also give the advise that if you have a dry mouth, you should drink fresh juices.
Dill seeds
Dill seeds contain flavonoids, which can increase salivation. You can directly chew some dill seeds to treat dry mouth and bad breath.
Fresh lemon
You add a few drops of lemon juice and a little honey into a glass of filtered water and stir the mixture. Instead of drink water, you can take this drink all day. This drink can stimulate salivation and prevents dry mouth.
Chili
You can sprinkle a little chili powder over salad, soup or other dishes in your meal. Chili helps to boost saliva production and improve your dry mouth.
Celery
In your daily meals, you should add some celery to your dishes. In fact, celery also enhances the production of saliva.
Cardamom
Whenever you feel your mouth dry, just chew 1-2 cardamom cloves. After that, you will immediately see the results.
Ginger
Ginger is one of the most powerful spices to stimulate saliva and stop symptoms of dry mouth. You take a small piece of ginger and chew when your mouth gets dry.
Baking soda
You create the mixture of baking soda, one teaspoon of salt, sugar, a few drops of lemon juice and a cup of water. This mixture helps prevent dehydration and treat dry mouth successfully.
Advice from the dentist:-
Dry mouth and throat can lead to uncomfortable and dangerous diseases
- Oral diseases: Saliva has many uses including getting rid of foul breath. Dry throat makes the oral cavity dry and causes unpleasant smells. Consequently, bacteria can easily attack the teeth, causing tooth decay.
- A chronic sore throat: When having dry throat and mouth, you usually see the sign that the oral cavity and throat is not kept moist, causing throat irritation and having dry coughs at night. After that, this symptom will produce the side-effect of a chronic sore throat.
Oral care at home is considered one of the most important things when you deal with signs of dry mouth. However, if these treatment methods above do not give the desired effect, you should go to the dental clinic for the medical test to take advice on how to get rid of dry mouth.
Reference:
https://authorityremedies.com/how-to-get-rid-of-dry-mouth