Oral Health: Xerostomia

An individual with poor oral health tends to interact and communicate less with people around. This means that poor oral health influences how people interact with their environment. An example of poor oral health that can affect a person’s general wellbeing and even how they interact with others is dry mouth (Xerostomia). This article will describe what Xerostomia is, the symptoms, causes, and how it can be treated. Read on for more information.

What Is Xerostomia?

Xerostomia, or dry mouth as it is popularly called, is an oral condition that affects the salivary gland in the mouth, reducing saliva flow. Saliva is an essential fluid in the body that facilitates digestion by helping the mouth break down food and protects the mouth by keeping harmful diseases and bacteria in check. Saliva contains some enzymes that serve as antibodies to fight and resist the growth and development of bacteria in the mouth.

This oral condition tends to go unnoticed by many ignorant of its existence and can influence the growth of various oral diseases like cavities, odor, and more. However, knowing how to identify this condition helps a particular curb it.

Symptoms Of Xerostomia

Xerostomia has various symptoms, and they are:

1. Dry mouth: As mentioned earlier, this condition affects the salivary gland, resulting in reduced salivary flow or no salivary flow. Individuals with this condition will notice that their mouth is always dry.
2. Poor Digestion: Saliva is vital for breaking down food, and the absence of I makes breaking down food difficult. This condition is characterized by difficulty in swallowing, chewing, and breaking down food.
3. Discomfort: Imagine experiencing difficulty performing essential functions with your mouth. It is uncomfortable as results show that individuals with Xerostomia tend to be nervous and stressed because of the pains that accompany this condition.

Causes Of Xerostomia

Like every other condition or disease that affects oral health, this condition is caused by specific behaviors and factors. They are:

1. Alcohol and smoking: This habit usually is bad for oral health because it contains specific nutrients and elements that are harmful.
2. Medications: The use of specific doctor-prescribed drugs for a specific health condition can result in some symptoms of Xerostomia. In this case, it is often temporary, but if it persists for long, it is a problem.
3. Allergies: This is also temporary as some people’s bodies react with this condition when exposed to specific elements.
4. Diseases: Diseases like HIV, diabetes, and kidney failure sometimes incorporate Xerostomia as part of their symptoms.

Treating Xerostomia

This oral condition can be treated to avoid resulting in other oral diseases. They include:

1. Visiting the dentist: On noticing this condition, visit the dentist for guidance.
2. Brushing and Flossing Regularly.
3. Chewing carrots, celery, or sugar-free gums: This helps draw saliva from the salivary gland.
4. Drinking water regularly.
5. Avoid consuming alcohol, hard drugs, and smoking

Conclusion

The risks of developing Xerostomia often increase with age, but it is essential that you know how to identify and treat this condition. Luckily, this article contains the needed information on Xerostomia (dry mouth). Having read this article, you should be able to handle the condition and seek treatment better.

If you are experiencing symptoms of Xerostomia, consult with one of our Gold Coast Dentures at Varsity today.