Xerostomia, or dry mouth, is a health condition that causes your mouth to dry out and become uncomfortable. Many people also refer to this condition as cotton mouth. This is caused when you are incapable of creating enough saliva to keep your mouth wet. Dry mouth can be caused by a number of things including medications, nerve damage, dehydration, and choices that you make.
One way to help eliminate dry mouth is to change your diet. We recommend removing the following foods from your diet if you suffer from dry mouth:
– Alcohol
– Caffeine
– Foods high in citrus
– Foods high in sodium
If this does not solve your problem you can also try to change how you are breathing. Instead of breathing in through your mouth, you should breathe in through your nose.
While dry mouth in annoying it is also detrimental to your oral health. If it goes untreated it may cause an increase of cavities and gum disease. The Oral Cancer Foundation found that almost 30% of cavities in adults are a result of dry mouth.
If you are in the Sidney area and are suffering from dry mouth please contact Dr. Van Treese today.