How many of you are or know someone suffering from the following symptoms:
- Frequent thirst
- Difficulty eating and/or swallowing (especially dry foods)
- Change in taste
- Painful or burning tongue
You could be suffering from a common but serious condition called Xerostomia (a.k.a., dry mouth).
Xerostomia is dryness of the mouth caused by reduction of saliva. In our previous blog post it was mentioned in detail how important saliva is not only for digestion but for the health of your teeth. Therefore, if your body is producing little or no saliva it can have very stressful consequences on your teeth and body.
So, what causes Xerostomia?
- Certain medications
- diuretics
- antihistamines
- anti-psychotics
- anti-hypertensives
- analgesics
- Chemotherapy/radiation therapies
- Aging (the elderly are the most prone to Xerostomia)
- High alcohol consumption
- Diabetes
- Only breathing out of the mouth
- Oral inhalers
If you think you or a loved one have Xerostomia make an appointment to see a dentist.
If you would like to make an appointment for an evaluation with our office please give us a call.
If you would like to make an appointment for an evaluation with our office please give us a call.
215.567.4949
Please take a look at our website for other common dental problems and issues!
Source: Bird DL, Robinson DS. Modern Dental Assisting. 9th ed. St. Louis, MI: Saunders and Elsevier; 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment