How a dentist is addressing the increasing issue of dry mouth due to over the counter and prescription medications

A perspective provided by Dr. Brian Rosen, DDS 

How many times have you watched ads for medications on TV and heard dry mouth mentioned in the long list of potential side effects? Well, there is a good reason for that. There are over 400 medications that can cause dry mouth. What used to be a concern for only older adults, dry mouth can now occur at almost any age.

Dry mouth, or xerostomia, can be a major problem. Saliva is a major factor in keeping teeth healthy. As a dentist who has been in practice for over thirty years, I have seen what can happen in a dry mouth. What used to be a healthy oral cavity can quickly become a very unhealthy mouth due to lack of saliva.

With regular saliva production, your teeth are constantly bathed by a mineral rich solution that helps keep your teeth healthy. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), at least 25 million Americans have inadequate salivary flow. This can lead to reduced cleansing and protection that saliva provides.

According to the Academy of General Dentistry, an adult should produce 1.5 liters of saliva a day. Some people will develop short-term dryness that may be caused by stress or nervousness. This usually does not have any long term implications. Chronic dryness that lasts for longer periods can cause trouble eating, speaking, and swallowing, burning sensations or a frequent need to drink water. This can lead to a rapid decline of the health in one's mouth.

In our office we recommend that our patients with dry mouth have regular visits and maintain proper hygiene at home. We make sure to keep an up to date list of all medications that our patients are using and stress the importance of maintaining a normal oral pH. We recommend avoiding acid-rich foods and beverages. To help support a normal pH on tooth surfaces, we are strongly recommending the daily use of BasicBites™.

Learn more at BasicBites.com