At some point in your life, you’ve surely heard of the term “cotton mouth.” And at another point in your life, you’ve likely experienced it and understood why it was deemed such.
A dry mouth can occur for a multitude of reasons, though seniors are much more susceptible to having a dry mouth simply because it’s a side effect of a lot of medications. And since dry mouth can prevent saliva from doing its day job (i.e., rinsing away bacteria that you don’t really want in your mouth between meals), plaque being more common is fairly typical in older adults. Unfortunately, that spells rapid tooth decay for those same people.
So, we’re going to take a look at some quick fixes for having a dry mouth. But before we get into that, we want to mention another common reason that people get dry mouth (myself included), and that’s sleeping with an open mouth.
There are many reasons why people may sleep with their mouth open, though sleep apnea, stress, a blocked nose, and irregular nasal passage (typically in need of surgery) are the most common causes.
Let’s dive into a few ways to alleviate having a dry mouth.
Over the counter oral moisturizers
These are exactly what they sound like and are as easy as they sound, too. Some come in the form of sprays and others are a mouthwash. Using these a few times a day when you feel your mouth become dry is quite unobtrusive to your daily routine, so it’s easy to implement these into your day from the start.
Drink more water
This one probably seems like a no brainer, and it is. Water is our vital life source, so it comes as no surprise that drinking more will better hydrate the body, which can kick your salivary glands into effect.
Use a humidifier
This has got to be one of the most single useful things I’ve ever discovered in dealing with a dry mouth (especially at night). Having a humidifier in your room for the course of the night is great, but trying to have a few more around the house is even better if your mouth is constantly dry throughout the day.
Avoid coffee, alcohol, and acidic juices
As much as these three things are a huge part of our culture, trying to avoid them (or at least cutting back on them) can help to reduce your dry mouth throughout the day. Try to get yourself hooked on other drinks or water entirely to reverse the effects completely.
Heath Nesbitt 