Have you ever noticed a dry, sticky, tacky sensation in your mouth? This condition, known as dry mouth, often feels uncomfortable, but it also increases your risk of many oral health problems.
Sometimes, dry mouth occurs as a symptom of a larger dental concern requiring attention from your dentist, especially if it becomes chronic. But many acute instances of dry mouth may have solutions you can achieve on your own. Read on to find three tips from your dentist that will help you relieve dry mouth from the comfort of your home.
How Can I Fight Dry Mouth Symptoms at Home?
Drink Plenty of Water
One of the leading causes of dry mouth is dehydration. When you do not have adequate hydration levels, your body will produce less saliva as a response to retain water. The dry environment will then allow the mouth’s natural bacteria to spread with greater ease, heightening your risk for oral infections like gum disease.
Gum disease will require dental intervention to treat, so prevent this infection of the gum tissue by staying hydrated. This means drinking at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water per day. A moist oral environment can reduce plaque formation.
Drinking water constantly throughout the day will help you avoid dry mouth on a long-term basis. And the act of drinking water will improve acute dry mouth conditions. Sipping water will rinse plaque and other residues from your teeth, boosting oral hygiene and therefore dental health.
Chew Sugar-Free Gum
If you have dry mouth, you can encourage more saliva production through the act of chewing. But you might not want to disrupt your diet by eating when not feeling hungry. You can chew without eating with gum.
Make sure you choose sugar-free chewing gum so that you do not hurt your dental structure as you attempt to fight dry mouth. Sugar will weaken tooth enamel to increase your risk for cavities. Preserve your dental health by chewing sugar-free gum to beat back dry mouth.
Evaluate Environmental Factors
When you feel that your mouth is dry, take notice of your surroundings. If you notice a pattern with your dry mouth symptoms, such as their occurrence in a certain room, they might be caused by an environmental factor. Make some changes to the environment to resolve your condition.
For instance, if you feel dry air in a room that you cannot avoid, consider buying a humidifier. This device will add moisture to the air so that it will not dry out your mouth.
If these efforts do not fix your dry mouth symptoms but they still occur on a chronic basis, talk to your dentist. They can evaluate your oral health to determine the cause of the symptom and offer treatment accordingly.
Sometimes dry mouth happens as a side effect of medication, in which case the dentist can help you manage your symptoms. Do not wait to tell your dentist about dry mouth or any other concerns with your smile.