Dry mouth is a condition where your saliva glands are unable to produce sufficient saliva and thereby fail to keep your mouth wet. This condition is usually caused due to the side-effects of certain medicines or radiation therapy (for cancer) or even old age. You need to contact your dentist in Colorado Springs as soon as you suspect you have this condition. Saliva plays an essential role in the mouth and helps prevent tooth decay by limiting the growth of bacteria, neutralizing bacterial acids, and also aids in getting rid of food particles.
Symptoms
If you are not sure whether you have a dry mouth condition, keep an eye out for the following symptoms.
- Thick saliva that has become stringy over time
- A feeling of dryness or stickiness in the mouth
- Bad breath
- Difficult while speaking, chewing or swallowing
- Dry throat or hoarseness
- Taste buds changed
- Dentures not sitting properly
If you have noticed one or more of the signs above, you need to visit your Colorado Springs Dentist as soon as possible.
Causes
Let us now look at the cause of dry mouth condition in detail.
Aging
As mentioned above, aging is one reason for dry mouth. Various older people suffer from this condition, and their medications may make the condition even more severe.
Alcohol or Tobacco
Chewing or smoking tobacco or drinking excess alcohol is also a contributor to this condition.
Cancer Therapy
Another cause for dry mouth condition is the therapy used to treat cancer. Several times, people undergoing chemotherapy notice that their saliva content has changed, and the nature of it has also changed. While this may be temporary, it is certainly uncomfortable. Another reason for this condition is continuous exposure to radiation. The effects of radiation may be temporary or permanent, and this depends on the area that is being treated and the dosage.
It would be best to visit your dentist regularly, irrespective of whether you have this condition or not. Dry mouth can get severe very soon; therefore, it should not be ignored.