Your mouth features saliva to maintain a moist and healthy environment. If the mouth dries out, it can feel unpleasant. But dry mouth conditions also pose a threat to the health of your teeth and gums.
Chronic dry mouth could point to underlying medical issues or side effects. These cases might require an evaluation from your dentist to treat.
But you can also treat mild dry mouth symptoms on your own. These efforts will greatly reduce the chances of your contracting severe dental problems. Read on to learn three ways that you can get rid of uncomfortable and dangerous dry mouth at home.
Tips to Eradicate Dry Mouth
Drink Plenty of Water
A major reason people develop dry mouth is dehydration. If you do not have enough water in your body, your saliva production can decrease. With less saliva in your mouth, you create an environment where bacteria can spread across your mouth with greater ease.
Then you have a heightened risk of oral infections like gum disease. This disease can give you irreversible dental damage, including tooth loss, and will need treatment from a dentist to eradicate. Therefore, avoid getting gum disease in the first place by staying hydrated.
Drink plenty of water to maintain adequate levels of hydration. Dentists and medical experts agree you should have eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day. If you drink caffeinated beverages, which can dehydrate you, you might need to drink more water to compensate.
Chew Sugar-Free Gum
If your mouth feels dry, you can stimulate saliva production to fight this condition. The act of chewing will encourage saliva to form in the mouth. Gum can be the ideal way to stimulate this action without disrupting your diet.
Make sure you choose sugar-free gum for this activity to avoid hurting your teeth. Sugar becomes acidic when it reacts with saliva and can eat away at your teeth. This puts you at a greater risk of cavities and other dental damage. Ask your dentist at your next appointment for more ways to improve saliva production in a healthy way.
Eliminate Environmental Factors
Sometimes your surroundings can impact the health of your mouth and make you have dry mouth. Next time you feel that your mouth is dry, pay attention to your environment and take note of any patterns. If you tend to get dry mouth in a certain room, the area might be causing your symptoms.
You can change your surroundings to alleviate this problem. For instance, you might have dry mouth in a space with dry air, especially if you spend a long time there like when you sleep.
Consider purchasing a humidifier to add moisture to the air in that room. Then you can occupy that space without worrying that the environment will give you dry mouth and inherently oral health problems. Patients with chronic dry mouth may want to consult with their dentist to make sure an underlying medical concern is not causing this issue.