Dry mouth

Dry mouth is a feeling that is familiar to all of us. With persistent or frequent dry mouth, it is necessary to understand the cause that causes it, and, if necessary, begin treatment. The elimination of dry mouth is usually achieved only as a result of treating the disease-cause, which should be the true goal. In any case, the feeling of dry mouth is another reason to pay attention to your health.

Dry mouth is due to insufficient hydration of the oral mucosa, for the most part due to insufficient production of saliva. Quite often, dry mouth is observed in the morning or at night (that is, after sleep).

Indeed, often after drinking a glass of water, we notice that the sensation of dry mouth has passed. However, sometimes this symptom can be the “first sign” indicating problems in the vital systems. In this case, dry mouth is a reason to see a doctor. In medicine, dry mouth caused by a cessation or decrease in saliva production is called xerostomia.

Why normal salivation is so important

Normal salivation is one of the key components of oral health. This is due to the fact that saliva performs a number of extremely important functions.

First of all, saliva helps to protect the oral mucosa from ulcers and wounds that would otherwise occur in the process of chewing food. Saliva also neutralizes acids and bacteria that enter the oral cavity and helps dissolve taste stimuli.

In addition, saliva is involved in the process of digestion of food and is one of the protective factors that play an important role in the process of remineralization of teeth.

Why is xerostomia dangerous?

Poor salivation resulting in a dry mouth sensation is a serious problem. There can be a huge number of reasons for it, as well as solutions. Xerostomia, as evidenced by the data, is more often diagnosed in women than in the stronger sex.

The feeling of dry mouth that occurs once is really, most likely, caused by some subjective factors: thirst, uncomfortable temperature conditions, errors in the diet. However, if dry mouth occurs regularly, it is still not worth fighting discomfort with exceptionally increased fluid intake. Insufficient salivation in this case may indicate serious problems in the body, especially if it is accompanied by other symptoms.

So, the “stickiness” of saliva, a strange feeling that if the mouth is kept closed for a long time, the tongue seems to stick to the sky, should alert. A cause for alarm is also dryness of the oral cavity, accompanied by burning and itching, roughness of the tongue and its redness. A doctor should be consulted if a person, in addition to drying out the oral mucosa, complains of problems with taste perception, swallowing or chewing. In this case, delaying medical advice is not recommended.

Note that dry mouth is not as harmless as it might seem. For example, it significantly increases the risk of developing gingivitis and stomatitis, and can lead to oral dysbacteriosis.

To date, experts cannot offer us a detailed classification and a complete list of possible causes of dryness of the oral mucosa. Nevertheless, conditionally, physicians divide all the causes of drying of the oral mucosa into pathological and non-pathological.

The first group of causes indicates a disease in need of therapy. As for the reasons that are not a pathology of character, they are associated, first of all, with the way of life of a person.

Pathological causes of dry mouth

The feeling of dry mouth can be associated with serious pathologies in the body. For some of them, xerostomia is one of the main symptoms, for others it is only a concomitant manifestation. At the same time, it is impossible to list absolutely all diseases without exception that can cause problems with salivation. Therefore, this article will focus only on those for which dry mouth is one of the key features.

Salivary gland pathologies

The most common problem with the salivary glands is their inflammation. It can be parotitis (inflammation of the parotid salivary gland) or sialadenitis (inflammation of any other salivary gland).

Sialoadenitis can be an independent disease or develop as a complication or manifestation of another pathology. The inflammatory process can cover one gland, two symmetrically located glands, or multiple lesions are possible.

Sialoadenitis develops, usually as a result of an infection that can enter the gland through the ducts, lymph or blood. Non-infectious sialoadenitis can develop with poisoning with salts of heavy metals.

Inflammation of the salivary gland is manifested by pain that radiates to the ear from the affected side, difficulty in swallowing, a sharp decrease in salivation and, as a result, dry mouth. On palpation, local swelling in the area of ​​the salivary gland can be detected.

Treatment is prescribed by a doctor. Most often, therapy includes antiviral or antibacterial drugs, novocaine blockades, massage, and physiotherapy can be used.

Infectious diseases

Few people thought that dry mouth could be one of the signs of the onset of the flu, tonsillitis or SARS. These diseases are accompanied by fever and excessive sweating. If the patient does not replenish the amount of fluid in the body sufficiently, he may experience dry mouth.

Endocrine diseases

Insufficient salivation may also indicate an endocrine failure. So, many patients who have been diagnosed with diabetes complain of constant dry mouth, combined with intense thirst and increased urination.

The cause of the above symptoms is high blood glucose levels. Its excess provokes dehydration, manifested, among other things, and xerostomia.

To alleviate the manifestations of the disease, it is imperative to resort to complex treatment. The sugar level should be carefully monitored with a glucometer, and the schedule for taking the drugs prescribed by the endocrinologist should also be observed. Fluid intake plays an important role. You should drink decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs that help lower glucose levels and increase body tone.

Salivary gland injuries

Xerostomia can occur with traumatic disorders of the sublingual, parotid or submandibular glands. Such injuries can provoke the formation of ruptures in the gland, which is fraught with a decrease in salivation.

Sjogren’s Syndrome

Syndrome or Sjögren’s disease is a disease that is manifested by the so-called triad of symptoms: dryness and a feeling of “sand” in the eyes, xerostomia and some kind of autoimmune disease.

This pathology can occur in people of different ages, but more than 90% of patients are representatives of the weaker sex of the middle and elderly age groups.

To date, doctors have not been able to find out either the causes of this pathology or the mechanisms of its occurrence. Researchers suggest that the autoimmune factor plays a major role. Genetic predisposition is also important, since Sjogren’s syndrome is often diagnosed in close relatives. Be that as it may, a malfunction occurs in the body, as a result of which the lacrimal and salivary glands are infiltrated by B- and T-lymphocytes.

In the early stages of the disease, dry mouth appears periodically. When the disease progresses, the discomfort becomes almost constant, aggravated by excitement and prolonged conversation. Dryness of the oral mucosa in Sjogren’s syndrome is also accompanied by burning and sore lips, a hoarse voice and rapidly progressing caries.

Cracks may appear at the corners of the mouth, and the submandibular or parotid salivary glands may enlarge.

Dehydration of the body

Since saliva is one of the bodily fluids of the body, insufficient production of saliva can be caused by excessive loss of other fluids. For example, the oral mucosa can dry out due to acute diarrhea, vomiting, internal and external bleeding, burns, and a sharp increase in body temperature.

Diseases of the digestive tract

Dry mouth combined with bitterness, nausea and white coating on the tongue may indicate a disease of the digestive tract. These may be signs of biliary dyskinesia, duodenitis, pancreatitis, gastritis and cholecystitis.

In particular, often the oral mucosa dries up at the first manifestations of pancreatitis. This is a highly insidious disease that can develop almost imperceptibly for a long time. With exacerbation of pancreatitis, flatulence, attacks of pain, and intoxication develop.

Hypotension

Dry mouth combined with dizziness is a common sign of hypotension. In this case, the cause is a violation of blood circulation, which affects the state of all organs and glands.

With a decrease in pressure, dry mouth and weakness usually bother in the morning and in the evening. Advice for people suffering from hypotension is usually given by therapists; medications will help normalize blood pressure levels and eliminate dryness of the oral mucosa.

climacteric

Dry mouth and eyes, heart palpitations and dizziness can be symptoms of menopause in women. A decrease in the production of sex hormones affects the general condition. In particular, during this period, all mucous membranes begin to dry out. To stop the manifestation of this symptom, the doctor prescribes a variety of hormonal and non-hormonal drugs, sedatives, vitamins and other drugs.

Note that all of the above diseases are serious, and drying of the oral mucosa is just one of their symptoms. Therefore, self-diagnosis with insufficient salivation is unacceptable. The true cause of xerostomia will only be determined by a specialist after a series of diagnostic procedures.

Nonpathological Causes of Dry Mouth

The causes of dry mouth of a non-pathological nature are most often associated with the lifestyle that a person leads:

1. Xerostomia can be a sign of dehydration. Its cause in this case is a violation of the drinking regimen. Most often, the oral mucosa dries up if a person consumes an insufficient amount of water at a high ambient temperature. In this case, the problem is very simple to solve – enough to drink plenty of water. Otherwise, serious consequences are possible.
2. Tobacco smoking and drinking alcohol is another possible cause of dry mouth. Many people are familiar with the discomfort in the oral cavity, which manifests itself in the morning after a feast.
3. Xerostomia can be a consequence of the use of a number of medications. So, dry mouth is a side effect of psychotropic drugs, diuretics and anticancer drugs. Also, problems with salivation can provoke drugs to reduce pressure and antihistamines. As a rule, such an effect should not become a reason to completely stop taking the medication. The feeling of dryness should completely disappear after the treatment is completed.
4. The oral mucosa can dry out when breathing through the mouth due to nasal breathing disorders. In this case, it is also recommended to drink more fluids and use vasoconstrictor drops to get rid of a runny nose as soon as possible.

Dry mouth during pregnancy

Often xerostomia develops in women during pregnancy. They have a similar condition, as a rule, manifests itself in the later stages and has several reasons at once.

The three main causes of drying of the oral mucosa in pregnant women are increased sweating, increased urination and increased physical activity. In this case, xerostomia is compensated by increased drinking.

Also, dry mouth can occur due to a lack of potassium or an excess of magnesium. If the analyzes confirm the imbalance of trace elements, appropriate therapy will come to the rescue.

Sometimes pregnant women complain of dry mouth combined with a metallic taste. Similar symptoms are characteristic of gestational diabetes. This disease is also known as gestational diabetes. The cause of gestational diabetes is the reduced sensitivity of cells to their own insulin, provoked by hormonal changes during pregnancy. This is a serious condition that should be a prerequisite for tests and tests to determine the exact level of glucose in the blood.

Diagnosing the Causes of Dry Mouth

In order to determine the prerequisites for the drying of the oral mucosa, the specialist will first of all have to conduct a thorough analysis of the patient’s history in order to determine the possible causes of such a symptom. After that, the doctor will prescribe diagnostic tests and examinations that are necessary to confirm or refute the alleged causes of xerostomia.

Diagnosis of the main causes that lead to the drying of the oral mucosa may include a set of studies, the exact list of which depends on the probable pathology.

First of all, if insufficient salivation occurs, it is necessary to find out if the patient has diseases that disrupt the functioning of the salivary glands. For this purpose, computed tomography can be prescribed, which will help identify neoplasms, magnetic resonance imaging, as well as a study of the composition of saliva (enzymes, immunoglobulins, micro- and macroelements).

In addition, a biopsy of the salivary glands, sialometry (the study of the rate of saliva secretion), and a cytological examination are performed. All of these tests will help determine if the salivation system is functioning correctly.

Also, the patient is prescribed general urine and blood tests, which can signal anemia and the presence of inflammatory processes. If diabetes is suspected, a blood glucose test is ordered. Ultrasound may reveal cysts, tumors, or stones in the salivary gland. If Sjögren’s syndrome is suspected, an immunological blood test is performed – a study that helps to identify diseases associated with a decrease in the body’s resistance, and to identify infectious diseases.

In addition to the above, the doctor may prescribe other tests, depending on the patient’s condition and history.

Dry mouth combined with other symptoms

Often, accompanying symptoms help to determine the nature of the pathology that causes a decrease in salivation. Let’s consider the most common of them.

So, drying of the mucous membrane in combination with numbness and burning of the tongue can be a side effect of taking medications or a manifestation of Sjögren’s syndrome. In addition, similar symptoms occur with stress.

Drying of the mucous membrane that occurs in the morning after sleep can be a sign of respiratory pathologies – a person breathes through the mouth during sleep, because nasal breathing is blocked. It is also likely to develop diabetes.

Dry mouth at night, combined with restless sleep, may indicate insufficient humidity in the bedroom, as well as metabolic problems. You should also review your diet and refuse to eat a large meal shortly before bedtime.

Insufficient salivation, combined with frequent urination and thirst, is a reason to check blood glucose levels – this is how diabetes mellitus can signal itself.

Drying of the oral mucosa and nausea can be signs of intoxication, a strong decrease in blood sugar levels. Similar symptoms are also characteristic of a concussion.

If the mouth dries up after eating, it’s all about the pathological processes in the salivary glands, which do not allow the production of the amount of saliva necessary for the digestion of food. Bitterness in the mouth, combined with dryness, may indicate dehydration, alcohol and tobacco abuse, and liver problems. Finally, dry mouth combined with dizziness may be a reason to have your blood pressure checked.

Additional symptoms during the drying of the oral cavity help reduce the likelihood of incorrect diagnosis, and also do not allow developing pathologies to be missed. That is why when visiting a doctor, you should describe in as much detail as possible to him all the uncharacteristic sensations that you have had recently. This will help to make the correct diagnosis and choose the correct treatment tactics.

How to deal with dry mouth

As noted above, xerostomia is not an independent pathology, but indicates a particular disease. Most often, if the doctor chooses the right therapy for the underlying disease, the oral cavity will also stop drying out.

In fact, there is no treatment for xerostomia as a separate symptom. Doctors can only recommend a number of methods that will help alleviate the manifestations of this symptom.

First of all, try drinking more fluids. At the same time, you should opt for unsweetened drinks without gas. Also increase the humidity in the room and try changing your diet. Sometimes the oral mucosa dries up due to too much salty and fried foods in the diet.

Get rid of bad habits. Alcohol and smoking almost always cause drying of the oral mucosa.

Chewing gum and lollipops are aids that reflexively stimulate the production of saliva. Please note that they should not contain sugar – in this case, dry mouth will become even more unbearable.

In the event that not only the oral mucosa dries up, but also the lips, moisturizing balms will help.

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