When you develop a dry mouth, your mouth isn’t producing saliva. You need saliva though for your mouth to properly work. It keeps your mouth moist, aids you in swallowing, helps cleanse your mouth, and helps you break food up. Saliva provides an important agent in fighting tooth decay and in teeth cleaning.
Called xerostomia, or dry mouth, it refers to a condition affecting saliva flow that causes your mouth to become dry and feel dry. At Saddle Brook Family Dentistry, our dentists Dr. Jonnathan Matute and Dr. Edward Suchora offer general dentistry in Saddle Brook, NJ to help you with dry mouth and many other dental conditions.
Symptoms of dry mouth
A few signs exist that you should look for to signal that you need to visit Saddle Brook Family Dentistry of Saddle Brook, NJ for a general dentistry appointment. These signs include:
- Your mouth feels dry
- Sticky, thick saliva
- Difficulty swallowing or speaking
- Your mouth feels prickly, or you experience a burning sensation
- Food or drink sensitivity
- Sore mouth
- Shiny, red mouth or gumline
Causes of dry mouth
A dry mouth frequently appears as a symptom of a different problem. Typically, it develops either as a symptom of a larger medical issue or as a side effect of medication. Blocked salivary glands, diabetes, lupus, menopause, and Sjogren's syndrome all cause dry mouth. Some medications for blood pressure, depression, heart disease, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) cause this problem. Medical treatments including head or neck surgery and radiotherapy can cause this, too.
Treatments available
While you can’t prevent dry mouth, you can treat it. If it stems from medication, your doctor can simply change your prescription to one that does not have dry mouth as a potential side effect. If it stems from a medical problem, your doctor or dentist can prescribe medication to help you produce more saliva.
Contact Dr. Jonnathan Matute or Dr. Edward Suchora at their practice of general dentistry in Saddle Brook, NJ for an appointment. Let Saddle Brook Family Dentistry help you beat dry mouth.