Skip to main content

Home Remedies For Dry Mouth

Each one of us has experienced dry mouth sometime or the other, especially when we were stressed out or left high-strung for any reason whatsoever or during the times when we suffered from fever or common cold. Saliva, definitely plays a very important role - it limits the bacterial and fungi growth in the mouth, aids digestion and keeps the mouth moist. When there is decreased production of saliva, there can be dryness and discomfort in the mouth.  It manifests itself as a a sticky, dry feeling in the mouth in addition to difficulty in chewing or swallowing, cracked lips, sores or split skin at the corners of the mouth, excessive thirst, and sometimes accompanied by a dry, burning sensation in the throat or a rough, dry tongue.

what causes dry mouth

What causes dry mouth?

Several factors contribute to dry mouth or Xerostomia. One of the common causes is the use of certain medications like antihistamines, anti-depressants, atropine etc. Some of these are the drugs used to treat depression, high blood pressure and heart disease. Apart from anxiety, situational or otherwise, fear and depression, dry mouth as a symptom is also caused by by pathological conditions like sarcoidosis, Sjogren's syndrome, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease etc., diabetes mellitus, anorexia nervosa and chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cancer among others. Dehydration is also one of the causes which cannot be ruled out. Fever, common cold  with blocked nose,  anemia, vigorous exercise, excessive sweating, diarrhea, vomiting, blood loss and burns can cause lack of moisture in the mouth. Some other causes are menopause, excessive cigarette smoking and chewing tobacco.

Dry mouth may lead to:

* Increased risk of dental decay due to lack of production of saliva.
* Altered taste sensation due to reduction in the number of taste buds.
* Trouble in swallowing and chewing
* Halitosis or bad breath.
* Incoherent speech or difficulty in talking.

What can be done

If you're frequently encountering a dry mouth, first of all try and find out what could be triggering it.
* Try and breathe through your nose and not your mouth.
* Avoid aerated drinks, coffee, tea and alcohol.
* Control stress with yoga, pranayama, meditation or just about anything you find relaxing.
* Consult your doctor and get a blood picture done to rule out complications.
* Do not use over-the-counter antihistamines and decongestants .
* Take care of oral hygiene. Brush with a fluoride toothpaste and floss your teeth.  Use fluoride mouth rinses to prevent rapid spread of dental caries.
* Visit the dentist to have your teeth examined for dental decays and removal of plaque.
* Use a room humidifier to add more moisture to the air at night.
* For people taking radiation treatment, the use of artificial saliva or the use of sialogogues, which stimulate salivary secretion, provide long term benefits.
* In alternative medicine, Electroacupuncture has been found to be effective to a great extent in treating dry mouth.

woman opening her mouth wide showing her tongue

Home Remedies that may help dry mouth

If your dry mouth isn't a symptom of any disease and there is no no underlying cause for it, try some of these home remedies: 

* Hydrate yourself adequately. Sip water or sugar free drinks throughout the day to moisten your mouth.

* Consume of good doses of vitamin C by having citrus fruits, juices and so on.

* Mix 2 tsp of black currant syrup, 1 tsp of olive oil and few drops of lemon juice. Sip a tablespoon of it thrice daily, it shall act as a lubricant to your mouth.

* Try oil-pulling with coconut oil. Oil-pulling is believed to improve oral health and thus may help in overcoming dry mouth symptoms.

* Chewing gum can also stimulate saliva production and help in combating dry mouth.

* As a part of lifestyle, perform Sheetali pranayama (cooling breath exercise); this can also clear mouth dryness.

So how do you tackle dry mouth symptoms? Have you tried any of these home-remedies? Do you know of any other home remedies or measures that are extremely effective in providing  relief in case of dry mouth? Do share in your comments.

References:
Similar reading: Dry eyes troubling you?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Comments posted on this blog are moderated and approved only if they are relevant, on-topic and not abusive. Avoid using links to your site/blog in the body of your comment unless it is highly relevant to the post.

Popular posts from this blog

Kapalabhati Pranayam for wrinkle-free, radiant complexion

Did you know that Kapalabhati Pranayam / kriya can also be used to enhance your beauty and ward off skin aging? Done the right way,  Kapalabhati Pranayam can be used as a beauty aid - it can give you a wrinkle-free, luminous forehead and radiant complexion. Kapalabhati For Beauty   ‘Kapalabhati’ Pranayam breathing exercise is an excellent way of maintaining good health and fighting diseases. ‘Kapala’ means ‘skull’ (and ‘forehead’ also) and ‘bhati’ means ‘shining’. By doing kapalabhati, the ‘nadis’(nerves) of the brain get good exercise. This is achieved by exercising the diaphragm. There will be a glow on the forehead. After the age of 25, the tell-tale signs of ageing start making their appearance in the form of fine lines on the forehead. A regular practice of Kapalabhati for 10-15 minutes everyday will give you a tight forehead sans wrinkles for many years to come. Avoid Botox, try Kapalabhati Why resort to Botox   and other expensive chemical or surgica...
160 comments
Continue reading »

Home remedies for sore throat

Sore throat is a common malady that each one of us faces sometime or the other in our lifetime.  That scratchy, dry and abrasively painful feeling at the back of the throat that you experience is so very discomforting! There are many ways to relieve that scratchy and painful, infected throat. Sore throat home remedies are many and varied and range from the folk ones to the medically tested and proven ones.  With this common recurring condition many sufferers have their own favourite sore throat treatments that seem to work for them. Sore throat is one of the ailments which responds very well to home based remedies, so there is no reason why one should hesitate to try out these invaluable tips which have been handed over to us by generations of yore.  After all these remedies have negligible side-effects and so there is no harm in trying them. And you can always rush to a doctor if they don’t work for you. 
178 comments
Continue reading »

Pore shrinking mask recipes from home

A face with large open pores when seen from close quarters doesn’t look so good. While it’s quite common for oily skins to have a tendency towards open pores, an attack of pimples also leaves ugly scars and open pores behind.  Even though the scars may fade away after some time, open pores appear to be more obstinate and hardly show any signs of shrinking.  Age also takes its toll by giving an uneven/pigmented tone to the skin and making the open pores more prominent. Heredity could also be a contributing factor in determining your pore size. It’s not easy to get rid of these pores or shrink them completely or permanently using serums, lotions or face packs. Even resorting to drastic chemical/surgical procedures at the dermatologist’s isn’t quite capable of giving satisfactory results.  Nevertheless, you can try and minimize their appearance at least temporarily with clever makeup and a few natural skin care masks such as these: * Cleanse your face with a mild ...
130 comments
Continue reading »

11 things you can do with olive oil

Besides lemon , milk , sugar , aloe , turmeric , sandalwood and honey , olive oil is another household item that has multifarious uses as a beauty aid. It is a mild, non-irritant, antibacterial oil that is rich in antioxidants; hence is ideal for the skin. Here are a few things that you could do with olive oil .
141 comments
Continue reading »

Teeth whitening remedies

Teeth could be naturally dark or could be discolored by repeated exposure to beverages like tea, coffee or red wine, smoking and also medications apart from decay and trauma to the tooth. If you want your captivating smile to be adorned by a row of glistening pearly white teeth, then try these treatments and remedies: ‘In chair’ bleaching at the dentist for teeth whitening Though there are several options available for teeth whitening, bleaching at a cosmetic dentistry clinic can significantly lighten your teeth within an hour. A large percentage of the people who have undergone bleaching have experienced a positive change in the color of their teeth. Read about it at About Cosmetic dentisty . ‘At home’ teeth whitening bleaching kit The ‘at home’ teeth whitening technique is also a popular bleaching procedure to whiten your teeth. You can obtain the bleaching kit from your dentist or make an over-the counter purchase. Use it conveniently at night and the gel should work while you sleep...
131 comments
Continue reading »