Good Teeth: They Don't Have to Be in Your Genes

Xerostomia is a dental term for dry mouth, and dry mouth is something that a lot of people struggle with. If you have dry mouth, your mouth may feel cotton-like, dry, and uncomfortable. You might suffer from bad breath if you have dry mouth, and you might notice an increase in decay on your teeth from this condition. If you want to beat your dry mouth, here are some of the best techniques you can use to do this.

Drink a lot of water

Sipping on water throughout the day is not only beneficial for keeping your mouth moister, but it is good for your body too. Drinking small sips of water often will help keep your mouth lubricated and hydrated, and this will help reduce the effects of dry mouth.

Suck on hard candies or chew gum

Secondly, you can beat dry mouth by encouraging your salivary glands to produce saliva. Dry mouth occurs when the salivary glands do not produce enough saliva, but there are things you can do that will encourage these glands to work. Two of the best options include chewing on sugar-free gum and sucking on hard candies. When you do either of these two things, your salivary glands should be stimulated more, and this will cause them to produce more saliva. If you produce more saliva in your mouth, you should see a reduction of dry mouth symptoms.

Avoid beverages with caffeine

If you are a coffee drinker, you are only adding to the symptoms of dry mouth. In other words, drinking coffee will make your dry mouth worse, and this is primarily because coffee contains caffeine, and caffeine causes dry mouth. To beat your dry mouth, stop drinking coffee and any other beverages that contain caffeine—stick to water instead. 

Do not use mouthwash products that contain alcohol

If your dry mouth leaves you with bad breath, you might turn to mouthwash for help. While this is not a bad idea, it is a bad idea to use mouthwash with alcohol. Alcohol dries out the mouth and using mouthwash with alcohol will make your dry mouth symptoms worse.

Visiting a dentist is another good way to beat your dry mouth. Your dentist can help you determine what is causing this problem and may help you find other solutions that you can try to help you have a fresher mouth that is not so dry.