Dry Mouth (Xerostomia)
Serving St. Paul, Minneapolis and the surrounding areas
Improving the lives of patients with extreme dry mouth in St. Paul, Minneapolis and surrounding Minnesota and Wisconsin communities.
Saliva is important to your health and well-being. The condition of having a dry mouth is called xerostomia. Saliva loss can be caused by a number of factors. A variety of diseases such as Sjogren’s syndrome (an autoimmune disorder that affects many moisture-producing glands in the body), diabetes, arthritis, scleroderma and graft-versus-host disease can cause saliva loss. People who are going through or have completed radiation therapy for head and neck cancer often notice a significant decrease in the amount and quality of their saliva. In addition, there are more than 1400 commonly prescribed and over-the-counter medications that can cause dry mouth.
How Do I Know if I Have Severe Dry Mouth (Xerostomia)?
The symptoms of saliva loss differ among people. Take a moment to look at the following checklist of symptoms. Identifying these signs may help determine if you have a dry mouth condition.
- Do I often do things to keep my mouth moist?
- Do I often get out of bed a night to drink water?
- Do I keep water by my bedside?
- Do I often feel thirsty?
- Do I have difficulty chewing?
- Do I have difficulty speaking?
- Do I feel a burning sensation on my tongue?
- Do I have dry, cracked lips?
- Have I lost my sense of taste?
- Do I have a distorted voice?
If you are experiencing a number of these symptoms, it is important to seek help in treating your dry mouth symptoms. Often people try to combat dry mouth on their own by sipping water, sucking on hard candy, or using saliva substitutes. These efforts are often ineffective and temporary at best, because they do not provide the same benefits that your natural saliva does. Dr. Nippoldt has an advanced, xerostomia program to help
Why Should I Be Concerned About Dry Mouth?
Saliva is more than just water. In fact, saliva is a very complicated bodily fluid that contains 40 essential proteins, 13 electrolytes and minerals and 7 small organic molecules. Saliva helps in digestion by breaking down food so you can taste it. It helps protect your teeth by limiting bacterial, viral and fungal growth, which cause mouth infections and tooth decay. It bathes the teeth with protective minerals that help prevent cavities, and helps to protect teeth from hot or cold temperatures, such as hot drinks or ice cubes. Saliva also keeps your mouth and throat moist to help you chew and swallow food, as well as to cleanse food particles from your mouth and make speaking easier.
As the saliva level in your mouth drops, levels of harmful bacteria increase while levels of the natural salivary protective elements decrease. This may lead to severe complications such as mouth pain, difficulty chewing, swallowing and speaking; mouth infections; tooth decay; weight loss; bleeding gums; frequent dryness of your eyes, nose, skin and throat; dry, cracked tongue; cracks at the corners of your mouth; or badly fitting dentures.
How Long Does Saliva Loss Last?
Depending on the cause of your dry mouth, saliva loss may be a condition that requires life-long therapy. The good news is that Dr. Nippoldt can prescribe effective medication. He will work closely with your physician to create a plan that is best for you.
There Is Help For Severe Dry Mouth (Xerostomia)
The good news is that most people needn’t suffer forever with severe dry mouth. Dr. Nippoldt’s Centre for Distinctive Dentistry has developed a program for treating those who suffer from xerostomia. The program includes salivary function testing and an individually-designed treatment program that fits each patient’s special needs.
If you need help with treating severe dry mouth (xerostomia) in the St. Paul, Minneapolis, Woodbury, or Hudson areas or would like to know more about these treatments, please call 651-739-8573 or email Dr. Nippoldt today for a complimentary consultation.
