Do you suffer from xerostomia? Why?

The feeling of having dry mouth is something really un-comfy for anyone. Probably, sometimes, when being sick, you had this feeling and you know it is annoying but do you know there is an illness about this feeling? Right, xerostomia, that affects the 20% of the adult population, is the symptom that defines the dryness in our mouth, due to a malfunction of the salivary glands. One more time, we have to emphasize in the importance that the saliva has for our oral health.

Perhaps the fact that medicines are the main reason of dryness in our salivary glands surprises you and that is the reason why part of the population who suffer this inconvenient the most are those over 60 years old (the 40% of them suffer from xerostomia), just because in most of the cases, they need daily medication. On top of that, some systemic illnesses, like rheumatoid arthritis or the scleroderma, accelerate the process of the xerostomia, being the dehydration, in most of the cases, one of the main reason why of it.

Stress, once again, plays a fundamental role in our oral health and in this case, we also include it as one of the main reasons that produces xerostomia. Stress and anxiety affect the nervous system that ends up affecting our whole body.

Knowing that one in five adults suffer from this, it is essential to know how to fight against it. Of course, in Smylife, we always emphasize in how important it is to visit periodically our dentist, because they will give us the best solution to our problem. They will analyse the type of xerostomia we suffer from, if it is reversible or not and if there is a physical or psychological illness provoking it.

However, it is essential for its improvement, the intake of food that help the production of saliva, like carrots, and of course, drinking water constantly to keep our mouth hydrated. Despite medicines increases this illness, there are others destined to substitute saliva that your dentist will recommend you depending on your needs and the grade of xerostomia you suffer from.

Finally, the oral health is a must; it plays an essential role in this issue, because it will help us to stay away from caries, so that, stay away from xerostomia. If you suffer from xerostomia or you are starting to suffer from it, you already know you don’t have to be scared of it, after a deep study, your dentist will know how to act to solve the problem, so hesitate asking him.