Dry Mouth Condition and Treatment
Dry Mouth
Our resources on Dry Mouth
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Dry mouth has various causes. Simple measures such as drinking frequent sips of water, sucking ice cubes and chewing sugar-free gum will often help and be all that is needed in many cases. Artificial saliva or medicine to stimulate the salivary glands is sometimes used.
What are the salivary glands?
The salivary glands make spit (saliva). Saliva is important in the breaking down of the food that you eat. It makes food moist, lubricating it as it passes from the mouth to the gullet. It also contains enzymes in the saliva which break down some of the starch and fat in your food.
[pic]
There are three pairs of glands that make saliva. From these glands, saliva drains into the mouth down short ducts (tubes). The submandibular glands are under the floor of your mouth - one on each side - and drain saliva up into the floor of your mouth. The parotid glands lie just below and in front of your ears. Saliva passes down the parotid duct into the inside of your cheeks. The sublingual glands are just beneath your tongue.
You make small amounts of saliva all the time to keep your mouth moist. When you eat, you normally make much more saliva which pours into your mouth.
Related articles [pic]
• Sjögren's Syndrome • Dry Eyes
What are the causes of a dry mouth?
A dry mouth is not an illness in itself. It can have several causes. In many cases there is a problem with the function of the salivary glands.
The causes can include: • Medicines. Various medicines can cause a dry mouth as a side-effect. For example, tricyclic antidepressants, antihistamines, antimuscarinic medicines, some anti-epileptic medicines, some antipsychotics, beta-blockers and 'water tablets' (diuretics). Many of these medicines cause a dry mouth by affecting the salivary glands which reduce the amount of spit (saliva) that these glands make. •
Our resources on Dry Mouth
• [pic]Article • [pic]Related • [pic]Support • [pic]Discuss
Dry mouth has various causes. Simple measures such as drinking frequent sips of water, sucking ice cubes and chewing sugar-free gum will often help and be all that is needed in many cases. Artificial saliva or medicine to stimulate the salivary glands is sometimes used.
What are the salivary glands?
The salivary glands make spit (saliva). Saliva is important in the breaking down of the food that you eat. It makes food moist, lubricating it as it passes from the mouth to the gullet. It also contains enzymes in the saliva which break down some of the starch and fat in your food.
[pic]
There are three pairs of glands that make saliva. From these glands, saliva drains into the mouth down short ducts (tubes). The submandibular glands are under the floor of your mouth - one on each side - and drain saliva up into the floor of your mouth. The parotid glands lie just below and in front of your ears. Saliva passes down the parotid duct into the inside of your cheeks. The sublingual glands are just beneath your tongue.
You make small amounts of saliva all the time to keep your mouth moist. When you eat, you normally make much more saliva which pours into your mouth.
Related articles [pic]
• Sjögren's Syndrome • Dry Eyes
What are the causes of a dry mouth?
A dry mouth is not an illness in itself. It can have several causes. In many cases there is a problem with the function of the salivary glands.
The causes can include: • Medicines. Various medicines can cause a dry mouth as a side-effect. For example, tricyclic antidepressants, antihistamines, antimuscarinic medicines, some anti-epileptic medicines, some antipsychotics, beta-blockers and 'water tablets' (diuretics). Many of these medicines cause a dry mouth by affecting the salivary glands which reduce the amount of spit (saliva) that these glands make. •