Xerostomia (Dry Mouth) - Part 2

Common Causes of Dry Mouth

Everyone at Landry Family Dentistry in Seville, OH understands that maintaining your oral health is critical in maintaining your overall health. You may not know but dry mouth, or xerostomia, can stem from an underlying health condition. Whatever is causing your dry mouth, it is important to understand it and properly treat it.

What are causes of Dry Mouth?

Dry mouth is when you do not produce enough saliva to keep your mouth moist. But what causes this insufficient secretion of saliva? Common causes of insufficient salivary flow include medications, diseases like anemia and diabetes, radiation therapy, nerve damage, dehydration, smoking, caffeine intake and other various triggers.

While all of the above can cause dry mouth, the leading cause is medications. Many medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, have dry mouth as a potential side effect. Below is a list of several groups of medications that can be involved with dry mouth. The list includes, but is not limited to the following:

- Alergy medications
- Antidepressants
- Pain Killers
- Diuretics
- Blood Pressure medications

- Inhalers
- Decongestants

If you would like to know some treatment tips to prevent and reverse dry mouth please stay tuned for part 3 of our blog series on dry mouth.

For tips like this and more, please like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ and Twitter! If you are in the Seville, Wadsworth, Medina, Creston, Chippewa Lake, or Westfield area, please contact us for a visit to discuss ways in which we can address your dry mouth or other dental concerns.

Xerostomia (Dry Mouth) - Part 1

What is Dry Mouth?

Do you find yourself quite thirsty all the time? Do you have trouble swallowing certain kinds of food? Does your saliva ever feel foamy or thick? You may be one of the millions of Americans that suffers from xerostomia, better know as dry mouth.


25% of Americans are affected by dry mouth, so you are not alone in suffering from this common disorder. Dr. Landry and the entire team at Landry Family Dentistry want the gums, teeth, and mouths of people in Seville, OH to be as healthy as possible. The following is information that Dr. Landry and his team want you to know regarding dry mouth and how it impacts your dental health.

What is dry mouth?

Dry mouth (xerostomia), is an absence or inadequate amount of saliva in the mouth. This can lead to many issues as your saliva is an integral part of maintaining good oral health.

Why is it a problem?

Saliva is one of the most important factors to maintaining your oral health. The reason saliva is so important is due to the many functions it performs like preventing tooth decay, aiding in the digestion process, and helping us fight off infection. If you create an insufficient amount of saliva it can lead to things like periodontitis and cavities.


Keep your eyes open for part two of our series on dry mouth where we will discuss some common causes of dry mouth. If you are in the Seville, Medina, Wadsworth, Creston, Westfield, or Chippewa Lake area please contact us today at 330-769-4470.

Oral Health and Diabetes

Diabetes and Your Oral Health

Did you know that one largely unknown consequence of diabetes is the detriment to your oral health? If you are one of the 30 million Americans who suffers from diabetes you may want to know this.

Research shows that there is an increased prevalence of gum disease (Periodontitis) among those with diabetes. This serious disease that affects the gum tissue and jaw bones is in addition to other complications associated with diabetes, such as heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.  Periodontal disease is a serious health concern that affects entire body health, potentially affecting blood glucose control and even contributing to the progression of diabetes.

Diabetes may lead to periodontal disease adnd tooth decay for many reasons, including:

- Diabetes decreases your body's ability to fight off infections and recover.
- Diabetes decreases the flow of your blood meaning not as much blood will circulate to your gums.
- Diabetes will cause an elevation of sugar within your mouth.

For these reasons it is important to brush and floss as recommended by Dr. Landry. It is also important to see Dr. Landry for routine oral wellness visits.  Additionally, you can read the Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health which reports on how good oral health will lead to improved overall health.

Call Landry Family Dentistry at 330-769-4470 and make an appointment today with Dr. Joseph Landry for a check-up to maintain ideal health.  Like us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter more tips on proper oral health.