Saliva as a component within the mouth is often never taken seriously by many people. It is almost easy to imagine that saliva has no use and its absence would affect nothing. That is just simply wrong and that line of thinking is mistaken. Saliva is extremely useful in the mouths and its absence is a serious medical condition. Dry mouth is the disease that results when production of saliva is reduced or stopped. It is also called xerostomia. When in need of treatment for dry mouth Newfoundlands offers a good place to check out.
Like stated above, saliva has many functions inside the bucal cavity. First, it is an important lubricant, which provides comfort and protection to oral tissues. Lubrication helps to avoid development of effects of friction such as sores and ulcers. The substance also neutralizes acids inside the oral cavity and kills certain harmful bacteria. The sense of taste is highly dependent on saliva and without it, it would be hard to perceive taste in food.
Advanced levels of xerostomia causes difficulty in speaking and the subject can experience malnutrition. Permanent damage to the throat and mouth usually result if the condition is extreme. At such points, quality of life is highly impaired. The damage caused is easily visible when one speaks or opens their oral cavity.
In the world over, xerostomia is more prevalent among women than it is among men. This is so because causes or risk factors for the condition are also more prevalent in women. Old people are also at higher risk of developing the disease because they take a lot of prescription and nonprescription medications more frequently. Many kinds of medications produce xerostomia as a side effect.
The causes of xerostomia are many and they may act singly or in combination. One of the major causes is drugs. Drugs produce the condition as a side effect. Drugs with such side effects include antidepressants, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, diuretics, and antihistamines. Additional causes are hormonal imbalance, breathing through the mouth, sleep apnea, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and salivary gland diseases. On the other hand, there are also risk factors including eating disorders. Hormonal changes and dehydration caused by pregnancy and breastfeeding are also major causes.
The signs that are indicative of xerostomia are many and diverse. They are more evident in mouth-breathers, especially at night. Difficulty in swallowing, speaking, eating, and tasting food is the major signs. In addition to those, patients also experience headaches, dizziness, pale gums, sores inside the mouths, dry throat and eyes, cracked lips, persistent coughs, and bad breath among several others.
There is no known way of preventing xerostomia. The only available option is minimizing the side effects. That makes early detection vital. When the disease is detected early in its infancy stages, severity of side effects can be minimized or even eliminated.
Treatment is done in stages depending on the level of severity. In serious stages of the disease, surgery may be done to unblock salivary glands. First-line treatments include saliva substitution and stimulation. In most cases, these two options do well and there is no need for surgery.
Like stated above, saliva has many functions inside the bucal cavity. First, it is an important lubricant, which provides comfort and protection to oral tissues. Lubrication helps to avoid development of effects of friction such as sores and ulcers. The substance also neutralizes acids inside the oral cavity and kills certain harmful bacteria. The sense of taste is highly dependent on saliva and without it, it would be hard to perceive taste in food.
Advanced levels of xerostomia causes difficulty in speaking and the subject can experience malnutrition. Permanent damage to the throat and mouth usually result if the condition is extreme. At such points, quality of life is highly impaired. The damage caused is easily visible when one speaks or opens their oral cavity.
In the world over, xerostomia is more prevalent among women than it is among men. This is so because causes or risk factors for the condition are also more prevalent in women. Old people are also at higher risk of developing the disease because they take a lot of prescription and nonprescription medications more frequently. Many kinds of medications produce xerostomia as a side effect.
The causes of xerostomia are many and they may act singly or in combination. One of the major causes is drugs. Drugs produce the condition as a side effect. Drugs with such side effects include antidepressants, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, diuretics, and antihistamines. Additional causes are hormonal imbalance, breathing through the mouth, sleep apnea, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and salivary gland diseases. On the other hand, there are also risk factors including eating disorders. Hormonal changes and dehydration caused by pregnancy and breastfeeding are also major causes.
The signs that are indicative of xerostomia are many and diverse. They are more evident in mouth-breathers, especially at night. Difficulty in swallowing, speaking, eating, and tasting food is the major signs. In addition to those, patients also experience headaches, dizziness, pale gums, sores inside the mouths, dry throat and eyes, cracked lips, persistent coughs, and bad breath among several others.
There is no known way of preventing xerostomia. The only available option is minimizing the side effects. That makes early detection vital. When the disease is detected early in its infancy stages, severity of side effects can be minimized or even eliminated.
Treatment is done in stages depending on the level of severity. In serious stages of the disease, surgery may be done to unblock salivary glands. First-line treatments include saliva substitution and stimulation. In most cases, these two options do well and there is no need for surgery.
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