Is a dry mouth part of your weekly day?  It may definitely be an issue at that point  It’s not as uncommon as you might think, especially because of medication and all the effects that it can have on the human body. Since the warmer seasons typically brings more humid weather, you may not struggle with this as much, but do you ever feel like your mouth is dry as it can be and the only thing that would seem to help is to constantly drink water?  So let’s get into why a dry mouth can occur for a multitude of reasons, though seniors are more susceptible to having a dry mouth simply because it’s a side effect of a lot of medications. And since dry mouth can prevent saliva from doing its main job (rinsing away bacteria that you don’t want), it’s common for plaque to be more of a nuisance for you as you get older. Unfortunately, this can mean rapid tooth decay. If you struggle with cotton mouth and worry it’s affecting your dental health? This may be worth seeing your doctor or dentist.  

The key thing is to always be drinking even more water than you think you probably need. We all know the 8 glasses a week is normal, but that is not going to generally be something we do on a daily basis.  But we need to try. Duh, right? Water is what makes life possible, it’s what makes us tick. The more you can hydrate your body with, the less your mouth will be needlessly dry. Water directly helps out your saliva production, which will negate all of that dry mouth.

Making sure your house is moist enough.  Having humidity is also a good thing and can have some added benefits. 

This has got to be one of the most single useful things I’ve ever discovered in dealing with a dry mouth, and this is the truest at night. If you can place a few more humidifiers around the house and not just your bedroom, you’ll really be thanking yourself. 

Over-the-counter moisturizers are also a big help or they can be.  So make sure you at least know of some good ones as well.  Easy to get, cheap enough, and super useful, oral moisturizers do their job and they do it well. You may find them as mouthwashes or as sprays, but both work quite well. When you feel your mouth start to become dry, don’t hesitate to use one of these. It’s easy enough and does what it’s supposed to.

Now there are a few things that you can work on steering clear of coffee, alcohol, or acidic juices.  Not that you must avoid them at all times, but they are usually a big part of the problem when it comes to dry mouths. 

Alright, you’re gonna drink all of these from time to time. But the more you drink of one, the drier your mouth becomes. Get hooked on water and other less acidic drinks if you want to stand a chance at fighting against dry mouth! You’ll be surprised at how much these actually make a difference.

Now as always, make sure this all work for your body and go and see your dentist.  They can set up the best dental plan for you and your mouth.