How to Tell if You Have Dry Mouth

How to tell if you have dry mouth and what to do about it!

Saliva is our body’s best defenses against the formation of caries. Dry mouth is a problem for 1 in 4 Americans! Do you know how to tell if you or your patient is suffering from dry mouth?  Here are some key questions and strategies you can use to find out.

If you answer “yes” or “occasionally” to one or more of the symptoms listed below, a healthy dry mouth relief therapy should be investigated:

My mouth feels dry.
I notice a lack of saliva in my mouth.
I get up at night to drink.
My mouth feels dry when eating a meal.
I have difficulties swallowing certain foods.
I sip liquids to aid in swallowing foods.
I suck on sweets or cough drops to relieve dry mouth.
My throat feels dry.
My mouth becomes dry when speaking.
I regularly use ______ to keep my mouth moist.
Some of the causes of dry mouth are stress, poor diet, age, heredity, disease, and commonly used medications that cause dry mouth as a side effect.

If you are concerned about your dry mouth, you may be interested in oral health products that can help stimulate saliva flow (like this gum) or moisten the mouth (like this spray) and help protect your teeth from the harmful effects of dry mouth.