Why Is My Mouth Always Dry?

Posted on 8/25/2016 by Fairmount Dental Center

A close up of a man’s mouth suffering from constant dry mouth.

Your mouth is constantly wet for a biological reason, it helps keep your mouth clean. Saliva is a protective layer that reduces food particles and bacteria from being present in your mouth, reducing the incidence of infection and keeping you healthier.

When a patient experiences an extended period of dry mouth, it can be more than annoying, it can be unhealthy.

Dry mouth significantly increases your chances of developing tooth decay, gum disease, and other infections in your mouth including thrush.

What is causing my mouth to be dry?

There are several different factors that can cause a patient to have dry mouth. It can be due to:

•	Daily Habits - This can include smoking or breathing through your mouth instead of your nose.
•	Dehydration - Whether it's hot, if you engage in exercise or outside sports and activities, heaving breathing can dry out your mouth, staying hydrated is needed to keep your mouth moist.
•	Medications - There are many medications that carry the side effect of dry mouth. If this is a continual problem, speak to your doctor about alternatives.
•	Medical Problems - There are numerous medical problems that are associated with the problem of dry mouth. Problems including Parkinson's disease, diabetes, anemia, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, stroke, and mumps.
•	Chemotherapy Treatment - A common complaint while being treated with chemotherapy is dry mouth. Patients undergoing this treatment have to be particularly cautious as they are more susceptible to infection during this time. Increasing how much water you drink is just one way to combat this, your doctor will have more information.

What can I do?

Contact our office about your dry mouth. By figuring out the cause, we can make suggestions to help improve the situation. Don't let dry mouth destroy your teeth.

Map of Fairmount Dental Center - Salem Dentist

Our Office Address:

1524 Commercial St S.E.
Salem, OR 97302

p: (503) 362-8364

Business Hours:

Monday - Thursday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

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