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A dry mouth or what is known as xerostomia (also known as hyposalivation and asialorrhea) is more a condition or symptom than a disease. It is a result of disease, disorders, or syndromes, or may happen due to lifestyle, deficiency, therapy, or intake of certain drugs. You essentially have a dry mouth because sufficient saliva secretion does not take place in your oral cavity.
A dry mouth is a more common occurrence in older adults than in young people. The usual symptoms include frequent thirst, burning sensation on the tongue, bad breath, taste related issues, hoarseness, and a sore throat.
Dry mouth requires immediate treatment or it can adversely affect the nutrition and mental well-being of the sufferer. It can also contribute to tooth decay or other such oral infections. The condition is an indicator that something is wrong in the body and so it must be immediately attended to.
Although, you may as a normal person have indeed experienced a dry mouth some time or the other, in 20% Americans it is a chronic condition that has considerable nutritional consequences. It has been found that older adults suffering from the condition lack essential minerals such as Potassium, Calcium, Iron, and Zinc, and also fiber and Vitamin B6.
Saliva not only makes the process of digestion easier but it also contains digestive enzymes. When insufficient saliva is secreted in the oral cavity, it adversely affects the digestive mechanism as the lack of the fluid affects the breaking down of complex proteins into absorbable shorter chain amino acids.
Saliva is partly also responsible for imparting taste to food and its lack affects eating adversely because you do not like to eat food that does not taste good. Therefore, a dry mouth is a problem never worth ignoring.
People who take drugs such as anti-hypertensives and anti-depressants can complain of a dry mouth. Those using radiation therapy for oral cancer also might suffer from this problem. Even chemotherapy for other cancers can alter the composition of saliva by permanently damaging the salivary glands.
Anxiety, swallowing food very fast in gulps without chewing properly can also affect adequate saliva secretion in the oral cavity. Endocrine disorders can also adversely affect the secretion of sufficient saliva in the oral cavity.
Certain diseases or syndromes can also cause a dry mouth. They include diabetes, high blood pressure, and Sjogren's syndrome (an autoimmune disorder), which results in dry mouth and dry eyes. Alzheimer's disease can also give rise to the condition.
Treating a dry mouth requires that you first prevent damage to your teeth. You can avoid that by brushing and flossing your teeth daily. Using fluoride-based toothpaste also helps. Visit your dentist after regular intervals of time if you are affected by the condition of a dry mouth.
To reduce the sensation of a dry mouth you can use frequent sips of water to quench your thirst. Avoiding coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol, and aerated drinks also helps, because all of these exacerbate the dry mouth condition. Sugar free chewing gum also helps increase the rate of salivation in the oral cavity. You must also avoid eating spicy foods as they will irritate the oral cavity lining even more.
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