If you aren’t living under a rock you should know that everything in regards to your health always comes back to the food that you eat. Food has a huge influence on our mental and physical health. In fact, many people experience dry mouth after eating and the food you eat can play a role in the severity of your condition. It can become better or worse simply based on your diet. With that in mind, there are some foods to avoid if you have dry mouth because they aggravate the symptoms and make your condition worse.
How does it feel to wake up parched?
Signs and symptoms of dry mouth:
- Dryness or a feeling of stickiness in the mouth
- Saliva feels thick and stringy
- Bad breath
- Difficulty chewing, speaking and swallowing
- Dry or sore throat and hoarseness
- Dry or grooved tongue
- A changed sense of taste
- Problems wearing dentures
- Lipstick sticking to the teeth
What are the causes of dry mouth?
Knowing the causes of dry mouth is vital in preventing its development and the more serious conditions that it could lead to. When a person can identify the specific causes of a dry mouth, it enables them to reduce or completely eradicate a particular activity or habit that aggravates its condition.
Here are the top causes of dry mouth.
1. Foods
Dry mouth, or xerostomia, is a common side effect of eating certain foods. Spicy foods, such as peppers, and acidic foods, such as citrus, can irritate the mouth and lead to decreased saliva production.
Other foods high in sodium and sugar can also contribute to dry mouth. Salty snacks, such as chips, crackers, and popcorn, are known to cause dehydration, leading to a decrease in saliva production and dryness. It is important to be mindful of when you eat them and what you pair them with. Having bread with soup or sauces will make sure that the bread/crackers are soaking up the food instead of limiting the saliva and moisture in your mouth. Making sure that you have water with you is essential to preventing dry mouth. Any food that is dehydrated or dried will attract saliva and any other moisture in your mouth, similar to breads and crackers.
Sugary candies, such as gummy bears, can lead to the development of cavities and dryness.
Our body searches for equilibrium. Try to maintain a diverse diet with many fruits and vegetables. Like mentioned above, there is no need to cut it all out of your diet, but be mindful of the amount that you partake of and its effect on your body. Salty and acidic foods suck the moisture from your mouth. Yogurt and fruit are a good alternative to moisture sucking foods.
2. Tobacco and alcohol use
Substances found in cigarettes, tobacco and alcoholic drinks can increase dry mouth symptoms as they are drying and hurt your body as well as your oral health.
3. Alcohol mouthwash
People use mouthwash to get fresher breath, but some ingredients can actually lead to oral problems like dry mouth. One such ingredient that is commonly found in many traditional mouth rinse products is alcohol. Do note that alcohol is a drying agent-it can reduce or even completely eliminate the amount of saliva being produced by the mouth, resulting in dry mouth.
How to Prevent Dry Mouth
- Drink water and stay hydrated. Being mindful of taking frequent sips is a simple treatment for dry mouth.
- Avoid eating salty food at night. Salty treats are one of the main foods that cause dry mouth, disturbing the equilibrium in your mouth by needing more saliva to help break down the nutrients and proteins in the food.
- Decrease your consumption of caffeine and alcohol , most especially before bedtime.
- Suck on sugarless candy or chew sugar-free/sugarless gum to increase your saliva production.
- Other foods that cause dry mouth are spicy or acidic food and drinks which also interrupt the salivary flow, impacting bad breath and your dry mouth symptoms.
- Quit smoking for good .
- Do not use a mouth rinse that contains alcohol because it can worsen dry mouth. Find an alcohol free mouthwash that does not aggravate your condition.
When it comes to helping with dry mouth the answer is clear and simple: keep your mouth moist. That’s right, keep the saliva coming through drinking lots of water, sucking on sugarless candies, and basically anything to keep those salivary gland working. Increasing water intake, even small frequent sips of water, improving the function of your salivary gland is one of the most effective ways to help eliminate dry mouth or at least mitigate the symptoms.
Suffering from dry mouth is an uncomfortable condition that nobody enjoys. But by understanding the possible causes, you can take matters into your own hands. By keeping your mouth moist and regulating the salivary flow, your oral health will improve, also aiding in prevention of bad breath.
While the best way to prevent dry mouth is to avoid the certain foods that are known to cause the condition, there are also products that can help prevent dry mouth as well. Our Nano silver products will not only help you improve your overall oral health but are useful in helping you prevent dry mouth.