Some patients may think that dry mouth (xerostomia) is a mere annoyance, but it can actually have serious consequences for your oral health. If you’re experiencing this problem, talk to your dentist about steps that you can take to treat or prevent it.

When patients have inadequate saliva, oral bacteria have the opportunity to proliferate and they can increase the patient’s risk of gum disease and tooth decay.

In order to address dry mouth, your dentist will first look for the factors that may be causing the problem. Any of the following can contribute to dry mouth:

• Side effects from medications, such as psychotropics, diuretics, allergy and cold medications and bronchodilators.
• Symptoms of certain diseases, such as Sjorgen’s syndrome, Parkinson’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Dehydration – if you’re not consuming enough liquids, especially water, your entire body can become dehydrated, including your mouth.
• Medical treatments – Radiation for head and neck cancers may contribute to dry mouth, as can chemotherapy.
• Tobacco use – Another reason to give up smoking or chewing tobacco is to reduce your risk of dry mouth.

If the dentist suspects a medical condition is contributing to your dry mouth, you may be referred to your primary care doctor or another physician for further evaluation. If medication may be the culprit, ask your doctor if there are any alternatives that don’t cause dry mouth.

Dry mouth is treatable. Make sure that you are drinking enough water, for starters. If that doesn’t provide some relief, consider chewing sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva production. Artificial saliva substitutes are available over the counter, and they can be tremendously valuable as well.

Of course, if you smoke, we highly encourage you to give up that habit. You’ll get a variety of health benefits, in addition to reducing dry mouth.

If you have any symptoms of dry mouth, such as excessive thirst, difficulty chewing and swallowing, sores in the mouth or dryness in the throat and tongue, contact The Dental Place at 972-264-5795 and consult with one of our dental experts to learn how you might address the problem.

As with other aspects of your health, genetics can certainly influence your oral health. Therefore, your dentist may inquire about your family history to help you better reduce your risks associated with these genetic factors.

Some patients may have a predisposition to thinner enamel thanks to their parents. This may make these patients more likely to develop cavities. If you have this hereditary history, your dentist may want to monitor you more closely for decay. There appears to be some genetic component to the risk of gum disease, as well.

The shape of your jaw can also be affected by your genes, and that, too, can affect the health of your teeth. For example, if you inherited a particularly narrow jaw from one of your parents, your teeth may be more susceptible to crowding, which can damage them and detract from your smile. Similarly, the size and the shape of the teeth are determined by your DNA to a certain extent, and those characteristics can also affect crowding. 

Beyond heredity, your parents can influence your oral health in other ways. For example, they can model good oral hygiene habits or show that they are not as conscientious about brushing and flossing. When your parents help you establish a routine as a child, you are much more likely to continue brushing, flossing and visiting the dentist on a regular basis as an adult.

Additionally, parents may also expose younger children to cavity-causing bacteria through kisses or by sharing food from the same plate. Some evidence suggests similar genetic material in oral bacteria found in members of the same family. Those same bacteria can cause gum disease, as well.

Your genes can affect your oral health, so it’s important to be aware of any oral diseases that your parents and other close family members may have developed in their lifetimes. To learn more about the link between your DNA and your dental health, bring up this subject at your next appointment. Contact our office today to schedule your visit.