Dry Mouth Treatment for the Spitting Image of Health

If you're spittin' pretty, you generate about a liter of saliva each day, though the Journal of the American Dental Association projects that this cup is only half full for about 30 percent of the general population - aka those who need a dry mouth treatment. This group tends to include prescription medication takers, victims of certain illnesses, smokers, seniors and mouth breathers to name a few. Life for dry mouth sufferers gets digestively and dentally unhealthy, and necessitates dry mouth treatments for relief.

Digestively, we need saliva to lubricate food for taste and for swallowing. Enzymes in our spit also provide chemical breakdown of everything from our salads to our steaks, which makes treatment for dry mouth critical for xerostomiacs, or people who suffer dry mouth.

Dentally, saliva physically washes debris from our teeth and gums while holding oral bacteria and fungus at bay. Because of these jobs, we expect our spit to protect us from halitosis too.

We get lots of benefit from a substance that's 99 percent water. For xerostomiacs, dry mouth treatments provide an assist for under-achieving salivary glands. If your mouth tends to run dry and you think you need dry mouth treatment, don't hesitate to seek it.

Medications, vitamins and herbal remedies remain the number one cause of xerostomia, so dry mouth treatments may include switching brands, combinations or doses. Ask your doctor to adjust your pharmaceuticals, or your dentist for more information on this method of treatment for dry mouth.

Sjögren's Syndrome (usually affects women over 50), HIV, diabetes, radiation treatments and chemotherapy also make some of us get dry mouth treatments. Sometimes the xerostomia effect is permanent. Consult your doctor or dentist about secretogogues, medicines that encourage your salivary glands to secrete more saliva. Generically, these dry mouth treatment secretogogues may be known as cevimeline and pilocarpine.

You might also ask your dentist to recommend an over-the-counter treatment for dry mouth. Current ones come in three basic categories:

Saliva Substitutes -- Dry mouth treatments, like artificial saliva, lubricate your mouth and mimic the natural stuff. Unfortunately, faux spit isn't for stimulating your salivary glands. File this dry mouth treatment under replacement therapy rather than cure.

Saliva Stimulants - Sometimes your glands need a treatment for dry mouth that lends a touch of encouragement. A new product stimulates your slow glands into spitting out more stuff to help you break down and enjoy your food again. This dry mouth treatment won't help people whose glands have been permanently damaged though.

Saliva Defense -Treatments for dry mouth also come in some toothpastes and mouth rinses. Look for the salivary enzymes lactoperoxidase, glucose oxidase and lysozyme, hired guns for fighting oral bacteria.

Researchers have a variety of new dry mouth treatments in the pipeline ranging from antifungal proteins to new spit substitutes. Some scientists are working on a high tech dry mouth treatment through gene transfers, which may help people who suffered permanent damage to their salivary glands through irradiation or autoimmune deficiency diseases.

Dry mouth treatments like these must undergo clinical trials and testing before commercial availability. But stay tuned, and we'll try to keep you updated.

For current dry mouth treatment options though, visit the dentist. And while there, get a dental exam or teeth cleaning to keep on top of gum disease and cavity, because xerostomia can really do a number on your mouth.

If you need a dentist, give us a call at 1-866-970-0441. We'll gladly find a dentist to recommend your best treatment for dry mouth.