There are quite a number of reasons why you can experience dry mouth, one of which can be due to the harmattan season where we inhale more dry air than usual, eventually causing dry mouth.
While it can be controlled, it is expedient that you get to the root cause of your dry mouth (xerostomia) if you want a lasting fix.
Saliva is important to maintaining a healthy teeth and mouth, so today I’ll be giving out a few tips to controlling dry mouth.
If you try all these and you still have xerostomia, then I suggest you contact your doctor as soon as you can.
- Take a good amount of water daily. A well-hydrated mouth is key to avoiding dry mouth.
- Limit your caffeine intake: Yes this may be quite hard if you depend on coffee a lot. Caffeine contributes to drier mouth.
- Breathe through your nose not your mouth: If you breath through your mouth, especially when you breathe out cold air, you will eventually dry out all the moisture in your mouth.
- Stop all tobacco use.
- Chew Sugar-free gums: Chewing sugar-free gums or sucking on hard candies can stimulate your salivary glands to produce more saliva.
- Try over the counter saliva substitutes: look for products containing xylitol.
- Try a mouthwash designed for dry mouth: especially those that contain xylitol.
- Avoid using over-the-counter antihistamines and decongestants.
- Avoid sugary or acidic foods and drinks.
Feature image credit:
tomsriverdentalcare.com
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This article was first published on 20th March 2018
amarachi
Amara Adanna Ogbonna is a Christian, foodie, and lover of arts. She spends most of her time on Facebook.
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