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.

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