Dry mouth is characterized by decreased or discontinued saliva secretion that can occur at any age, being more common in older women. Dry mouth, also called xerostomy, asialorrhea, hyposalivation, can have several causes and its treatment involves increasing salivation with simple measures or with the use of drugs under medical supervision.
A dry mouth when waking up may be a mild sign of dehydration so it is recommended that the person increase their water intake, but if the symptom persists you should consult a doctor.
If you think it’s hard to drink water, see what you can do to hydrate.
Saliva plays an important role in protecting the oral cavity from fungal, virus or bacterial infections that cause cavities and bad breath. In addition to moistening the tissues of the mouth, it also aids in bolus formation and swallowing, facilitates phonetics and is essential for the retention of prostheses. Therefore, when you notice the presence of a constant dry mouth, it is important to see your doctor to start appropriate treatment.
The most common causes of dry mouth are
Lack of vitamin A and B complex can dry out the lining of the mouth and cause mouth and tongue sores.
Vitamin A and full B can be found in foods such as fish, meat and eggs. Learn more about B vitamins.
Autoimmune diseases are caused by the production of antibodies against the body itself, which causes inflammation of certain glands in the body, such as the salivary gland, resulting in dry mouth due to a decrease in saliva production.
Autoimmune diseases that can cause dry mouth include systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjogren’s syndrome, where in addition to dry mouth, there may be a feeling of sand in the eyes and an increased risk of infections, such as cavities and conjunctivitis, for example. Find out how to identify Sjogren’s syndrome.
Some medications can also cause dry mouth, such as antidepressants, antidurics, antipsychotics, antihypertensives, and cancer medications.
In addition to medications, radiation therapy, which is a type of treatment that aims to remove cancer cells by radiation, when performed on the head or neck, can cause dry mouth and the appearance of painful gums depending on the dose of radiation. See what other side effects of radiation therapy are.
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is a disease characterized by the production of autoantibodies that attack the thyroid and cause its inflammation, which causes hyperthyroidism, which is often followed by hypothyroidism. Signs and symptoms of thyroid problems may appear slowly and include dry mouth, for example. Learn more about Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Hormonal changes, especially during menopause and pregnancy, can cause a number of imbalances in a woman’s body, including a decrease in saliva production, resulting in dry mouth. Learn all about menopause.
Dry mouth during pregnancy can occur due to insufficient water supply, as the need for water in a woman’s body increases during this period, as the body needs to form the placenta and amniotic fluid. So, if the woman has already drunk about 2 litres of water a day, it is normal to increase this amount to about 3 liters a day.
Some breathing problems, such as septum deviation or airway obstruction, for example, can cause the person to breathe through the mouth instead of the nose, which can cause changes in facial anatomy over time and is more likely to become infected because the nose doesn’t. filters out the inspired air. In addition, constant air in and out through the mouth can cause dry mouth and bad breath. Understand what oral sorbet syndrome is, its causes, and how to treat it.
Living habits, such as smoking, eating many high-sugar foods, or even not drinking too much water, can cause dry mouth and bad breath, as well as serious illnesses, such as pulmonary emphysema, in the case of cigarettes, and diabetes. excessive consumption of high-sugar foods.
Dry mouth in diabetes is very common and can be caused by polyuria, characterized by the fact of urinating a lot. What can be done to avoid dry mouth in this case is to increase water consumption, but your doctor may evaluate the need to change diabetes medications, depending on the severity of this side effect.
One of the best strategies to combat dry mouth is to drink plenty of water during the day. Watch in the video below how to drink more water:
In addition, dry mouth treatment may be performed to increase saliva secretion, such as:
In addition, artificial saliva can be used to increase aid in combating symptoms of dry mouth and facilitate food chewing. Your doctor may also prescribe medicines such as sorbitol or pilocarpine.
Other important precautions to avoid having dry lips are to avoid licking your lips, because unlike drying your lips and moisturizing, try using lip balm, cocoa butter or lipstick with moisturizing properties. Discover some options to moisturize your lips.
The symptom of dry mouth all the time can also be accompanied by dry and cracked lips, difficulties related to phonetics, chewing, tasting and swallowing. In addition, people who often have dry mouth are more prone to cavities, usually suffer from bad breath and may have headaches, as well as an increased risk of oral infections, mainly caused by Candida Albicans, as saliva also protects the mouth from microorganisms. .
The professional in charge of treating dry mouth is the family doctor, who may appoint an endocrinologist or gastroenterologist depending on its causes.