What is cottonmouth?
Cotton mouth, dry mouth or
also known as xerostomia in medical terms. It can be described as the inability
of the salivary glands to introduce sufficient amount of saliva to keep your
mouth moist. Cotton mouth name comes from the feeling of your mouth is full of
cotton wool.
What causes cottonmouth?
Dehydration
It seems one of the most
obvious reason for this condition. When your body is lack of water, the amount
of saliva produced will sharply decrease. Thus your mouth will become drier and
it might increase the development of bad bacterial and create more oral health
issues.
Aging
This condition is more
experienced by elderly since the salivary glands function has been declined
over the years. Moreover, several medications are proved to have an impact on
the production of saliva thus, it is more common that those who are elder will
experience this condition.
Smoking and drinking
Smoking will reduce the
function of the salivary glands and it also create bad breath and many other
oral health issues.
Medications
As mentioned above, there are
certain medications that can increase the risk of cotton mouth due to its
component. These medications are mostly those over – the – counter medicine to
treat high blood pressure. Moreover, disease and infections like HIV/AIDS, hypertension,
mumps, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and cystic fibrosis can increase the
chance of having cotton mouth.
Anxiety
When you feel stressed out or
over anxious, the amount of saliva produced in your mouth will decline.
However, it is showed that the cotton mouth problem might be associated with
antidepressants medications. Thus, cotton mouth can be seen as one of the side
effects of medication that used to treat antidepressants, antihistamines,
muscle relaxants and beta – blockers.
Symptoms of cottonmouth
If you experience these
symptoms and signs, you might suffer from cotton mouth:
- Constant thirst
- Bad breath
- Sticky sensation in your mouth
- Difficulty in chewing, tasting, swallowing or
sometimes even speaking
- Sore and pain in the corner of your lips
- Dry and cracked lips
- Sometimes, sore throat and dry hoarseness and
nasal passages.
- Raw feeling and redness in your mouth
Top 7 home remedies to treat cotton mouth
Water
Since dehydration is one of
the most common cause of this condition, drinking sufficient water throughout
the day will be the most effective way to treat cotton mouth. The Mayo Clinic
has advised men to drink at least 3 liters of water and women to drink at least
2.2 liters of water on a daily basis even if they are not particularly doing
any physical activities.
Even though dehydration is not
always the reason of cotton mouth develops, keep in mind that consuming
sufficient amount of water throughout the day is very important. By doing this,
you have your teeth and your tongue cleansed and stayed away from bad bacterial
as well as bad breath.
Breathe through your nose
Mouth – breathing can dry out
your mouth very quickly thus, to stop worsening your dry mouth symptoms, you
should try to breathe through your nose especially when you are resting after
physical activities. In case, you are unable to do this due to congestion or
allergies, it is recommended that you visit your doctor to have these problems
solved.
Use a Humidifier
A humidifier can be used to
alleviate your dry mouth condition and to cleanse your air in your room. Breathing
this air can help to relieve the symptoms caused by cotton mouth problems. You
can place a humidifier in your room and turn it on during your night sleep to
cleanse the air and add moisture. Also, put another humidifier in your work
space too.
Quit Smoking
The disadvantages of smoking
have been proven multiple times and dry mouth is one of the results as well.
Smoking not only slows down the production of saliva in your mouth but it also
creates bad breath, creates brown stains in your teeth and destroys your lungs.
In case, you want to quit smoking effectively, you should ask help from
doctors, friends, family and relatives.
Sugar-Free Sucking Candies
Munching on the sugar – free
hard candies or mints might help you to stimulate your salivary glands and
regulate the production of saliva. However, it is important that you choose
sugar – free candies as high amount of sugar in other types of candies will
contribute to the growth of tooth decay which might lead to other oral health
problems.
Sugar-Free Gum
Well, this is for those who
are not fans of mints and candies. You can choose to chew the sugar – free gum.
Once again, it is extremely important that you choose those are sugar – free.
As explained by the American Dental Association (ADA), chewing can stimulate
the saliva production which subsequently reduce that probability of developing
cotton mouth.
Fluoride Toothpaste
Because cotton mouth poses a
threat to your tongue, your mouth and your teeth, it is important that you
brush your teeth with a fine toothpaste well every day. Fluoride which can be
found in many toothpastes is a mineral to keep you away from cavities while
strengthening your enamels by replacing minerals. Moreover, it also creates a
strong and healthy environment that bad bacteria cannot thrive in and reside.
Alcohol-Free Mouthwash
Since most of mouthwashes
contain alcohol which is the culprits for the abrasive feeling in your mouth
when you use them. Moreover, mouthwash can also reduce the production of saliva
in your mouth thus to avoid worsening your dry mouth symptoms, you can choose
alcohol – free mouthwash or use natural home remedies to fight germs.
Floss Daily
Not only brushing your teeth
well daily, but you also need to floss your teeth well even though you might
not suffer from dry mouth. Without flossing every day, dry mouth can pose a
threat as periodontal disease to your oral health. You need to carefully clean
between your teeth on a daily basis to stimulate your saliva production that
usually aids you in this process.
Cotton mouth is a discomfort
condition with various causes, however, with the help of dentists, natural home
remedies and well care of your oral health, you can learn how to control it
effectively. In case you cannot cure it at home or have worsened symptoms,
contact your dentist immediately to have a proper diagnosis and treat it as
soon as possible.
