Dry Mouth: What Causes It and How To Treat It?

What Is Dry Mouth?

Dry mouth — also known as xerostomia — is a dry or sticky feeling in your mouth that happens when you don’t have enough saliva.

Saliva is the watery body fluid in your mouth. Saliva is mostly made of water, but also contains other proteins and chemicals that help maintain your overall and oral health. Saliva has many functions, including:

Saliva is made by your salivary glands — special glands found in your mouth and throat that make and release saliva. Your salivary glands normally make more saliva when you eat food or even just think about eating food.

What Causes Dry Mouth?

Dry mouth can occur in people who are healthy and in people who have certain health problems.

In healthy people, dry mouth can be related to the activation of your sympathetic nervous system — the part of your nervous system responsible for your body’s reaction to stress or anxiety (also known as your fight or flight response). When your fight or flight response is activated by stress or danger, your nervous system tells your salivary glands to make your saliva thicker, making your mouth feel sticky and dry.

Anyone can get dry mouth if they breathe through your mouth or if they’re dehydrated. If dry mouth isn’t caused by an underlying health problem, your dry mouth should get better when the stress passes or when you drink water.

Dry mouth may also be a symptom of a medical condition or a side effect of a medication. These causes are explored more below.

Medical Conditions That Cause Dry Mouth

Some medical conditions can result in dry mouth by causing your salivary glands to make less saliva.

You may have problems making enough saliva if you have a health problem that directly involves your salivary glands, such as sialolithiasis (salivary stones) or sialadenitis (inflammation of your salivary glands).

The medical condition most often associated with dry mouth is Sjögren’s syndrome. Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks moisture-producing glands in the body.

When the immune system attacks the salivary glands, they make less saliva, resulting in dry mouth. In addition to dry mouth, people with Sjögren’s syndrome will often experience dryness in other parts of their body, such as their eyes, nose, and digestive system.

Any medical condition or injury that affects the nerves in your head and neck can also cause dry mouth. Because your nerves tell your salivary glands when and how much saliva to produce, any injury to these nerves can make it harder to send the signal to your salivary glands to make saliva. Radiation therapy for cancer of your head and neck can also cause dry mouth.

Other medical conditions that may cause dry mouth include:

Medications That Cause Dry Mouth

Medications can cause dry mouth when they activate your sympathetic nervous system. There isn’t just one type of medication that causes dry mouth. You may experience dry mouth as a side effect of several medications, including:

Talk to your physician or pharmacist to find out if your medications can cause dry mouth.

What Are the Symptoms of Dry Mouth?

When you have dry mouth, you may feel like your mouth is sticky and dry. Other symptoms of dry mouth include:

Since saliva helps with so many different functions, you may have difficulty with the following activities when you have dry mouth:

Complications of Dry Mouth

Saliva doesn’t just help keep your mouth comfortable — it serves a wide variety of functions. When you don’t have enough saliva, it can cause more serious complications, including:

How Is Dry Mouth Diagnosed?

Dry mouth can be diagnosed by your primary care physician or a dentist (a healthcare provider who specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions related to your oral health).

Your physician will ask you questions about your symptoms and check for complications of dry mouth, such as cavities and sores in your mouth. Your physician may dab a piece of gauze around your mouth to see how much saliva you produce.

Your physician may recommend testing for conditions related to dry mouth, such as a full dental check-up and cleaning and an eye exam.

You may need additional tests to check for health problems that cause dry mouth. For example, if your physician suspects you may have Sjögren’s syndrome, additional testing may include blood tests, urine tests, imaging tests, and biopsies.

How Is Dry Mouth Treated?

The main goal of dry mouth treatment is to keep your mouth moist and increase your saliva production to decrease your risk of complications. Your specific treatment may depend on what’s causing your dry mouth.

There are several different treatment options for dry mouth. Many dry mouth treatments don’t require a prescription, but you should still talk to your physician or dentist before you try a treatment.

Treatment for Underlying Conditions

The most important part of dry mouth treatment is treating the underlying condition that’s causing it.

If you have Sjögren’s syndrome, your treatment may include immunosuppressants to help calm down your immune system. When your immune system is less active, your salivary glands may be able to make more saliva. Proper management of other health problems that can cause dry mouth may also improve your symptoms. Talk to your physcian about the best treatment plan for your health problems to improve dry mouth symptoms.

If your dry mouth is related to a medication you’re taking, your treatment may involve changing your dose or trying a new medication. If you have to take a medication that causes dry mouth, talk to your physcian about taking it in the morning. Dry mouth is more likely to cause complications with your teeth if your mouth is dry at night. Don’t stop taking your medications unless your physician instructs you to.

Home Remedies

Many home remedies that don’t need a prescription can help improve dry mouth symptoms. Tips to help you feel more comfortable when you have dry mouth include:

When you have dry mouth, there are also some things you should avoid, such as:

Talk to your physician to get specific recommendations for what may help your dry mouth.

Saliva Substitutes

Saliva substitutes can help keep your mouth moisturized. Several products are available without a prescription. However, you should speak to your dentist or physician for a recommendation about which product is best for you.

Saliva substitutes are available in different formulations, including sprays, mouth rinses, and gels. The best product for you depends on what’s causing your dry mouth and your personal preferences. Examples of saliva substitutes include:

Proper Dental Care

When you have dry mouth, you have a higher risk of dental cavities and gum disease. This is why it’s important to take proper care of your teeth and mouth. You should make sure to see your dentist at least once a year. However, your dentist may recommend that you come in more often for exams and cleaning. Your dentist can also help you develop a care plan for proper dental care with dry mouth.

Medications

Medications are available to help you produce more saliva, including cevimeline (Evoxac) and pilocarpine (Salagen). Your physician or dentist may prescribe one of these medications if other dry mouth therapies haven’t worked for you.

Like all medications, you may experience side effects while taking either of these medications. Potential side effects of cevimeline and pilocarpine include:

Surgery

If you have dry mouth due to salivary stones, you may need surgery to remove them. Surgery may also be available to repair your salivary glands in some cases. Talk to your oral surgeon, dentist or physician to find out if surgery may help improve your dry mouth symptoms.

When Should You See a Physician or Dentist About Dry Mouth?

It’s normal to experience occasional dry mouth when you’re in a stressful situation. However, if you frequently experience dry mouth or if you develop complications, such as tooth decay or mouth sores, you should contact your dentist or physician.

Before your appointment for dry mouth, you should consider the following:

During your appointment, you may consider asking your physician or dentist the following questions: