This is a condition where your salivary glands do not produce enough saliva to keep your mouth wet – this causes an issue with digestion – and with the protection of gums and teeth from disease and decay.
Causes
It is usually a side effect of medications, illnesses, and radiotherapies. However, it can also happen due to dehydration, surgical removal of salivary glands, tobacco, nerve damage, stress/anxiety, botulism poisoning, and aging.
Symptoms
You may have a sticky feeling in your mouth, halitosis, cracked lips, differed sense of taste, problems with dentures, sore throat, raw tongue, thrush in the mouth, gum disease and tooth decay. You may also have a problem in communicating and difficulty in eating.
Prevention and Management
Keep yourself hydrated, evade products that have tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine, avoid foods with high levels of sugar and spices, employ humidifiers, and attempt to breathe via your nose instead of your mouth.
