Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Dry Mouth

Q: What are some causes of dry mouth?

A: There are many possible causes of xerostomia, or dry mouth.  The most common being that it is a side effect of over 400 medications.  Additional causes would be medical conditions like diabetes, stroke, and sjogren's syndrome.

The biggest problem with dry mouth from a dental health perspective is that it can cause tooth decay.  There are some remedies that can make dry mouth more manageable:  drink plenty of water, use prescriptions fluoride products, limit caffiene, avoid mouth rinses containing alcohol, chew xylitol gum/mints and stop tobacco use.

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