Dry Mouth and Bad Breath

People associate bad breath with poor dental hygiene practices. It is not entirely true that a person with bad breath does not take proper steps to manage the health of their teeth and mouth. The reality of the situation is, bad breath is often an indication of deeper health problems. Bad breath is a soul mate of dry mouth. They frequently happen at the same time. The formal name for dry mouth is xerostomia.

An individual's first sign of dry mouth include a feeling of a dry or parched mouth and tongue sensation. And dry mouth is a situation in which there is not enough saliva produced in the mouth. Saliva is provides oxygen the mouth needs to manage and kill the bacteria and fungus that grows in the mouth. Bacteria and fungus that grows in the mouth are known as "anaerobic bacteria." Anaerobic bacteria loves an environment in which there is no oxygen. It grows quickly in such a place. Once the bacteria and fungus have grown out of control, one of the resulting outcomes is odor known as bad breath and dry mouth. With sufficient saliva in the mouth the dry mouth environment disappears.

It is important that the individual and the medical professional work together to eliminate the possible causes of dry mouth. Once the source of the dry mouth is determined, two things may occur. Adjustments may be made that could eliminate dry mouth and bad breath. And second, the dry mouth will disappear with the resolution of other deeper health problems.

The causes of dry mouth are subtle. Some of the causes include...

• medications both prescribed and over the counter
• muscle relaxants
  
• medical treatments such as chemotherapy or cancer
• nerve damage due to surgery
• surgical removal of salivary glands
• diseases such as diabetes, anemia, hypertension, mumps, strokes, HIV/AIDS
• dehydration
• social life style practices such as smoking
• sleeping with mouth open
  

Dry mouth shows itself through other health issues. But there are signs that could distinguish dry mouth. Some of those signs include...

• mouth sores
• cracked and/or split mouth and lips
• an insatiable thirst
• dry nasal passage
• bad breath
• difficulty speaking
• problems tasting food and swallowing

Everyone gets dry mouth from time to time. The problem arises when people have chronic dry mouth and have not sort the help of professional medical advisers. Chronic dry mouth is your body's way of saying there is a problem, fix it before things get out of control. The morale of the story is , brushing your teeth is a given responsibility. But when it is not enough to eliminate bad breath or that parched dry mouth feeling, seek help.

Once you've determined the source of dry mouth, management of the problem is easier than people understand. Some of the things an individual may do to manage dry mouth include...

• purchase mouth rinse and tooth paste that treat dry mouth
• suck on sugar free candy or chew sugar free gum - it creates more saliva and moisture in the mouth
• use floride tooth paste
• keep teeth and gums healthy - visit dentist often
• breathe through your nose - open mouth breathing create dry environment for bacteria and fungus
• keep moisture in the room - use a humidifier if needed
• purchase saliva substitute if needed
• suck on ice and sip water often
• avoid caffeine laden drinks, beverages and alcohol - they dry the mouth and dehydrate the mouth

Not facing the reality of dry mouth has great negative consequences. Rather than walk around and endure the remarks people make about your bad breath, contact your medical professional and get to the bottom of the problem. Unmanaged dry mouth could result in...

• heart disease
• gingivitis and other gum and mouth diseases
  
• loss of teeth
• tongue sensitive to hot or cold
  
• stroke or cancer
• emotional stress and anxiety
  
• other life threatening diseases

Lesson Learned

The lesson learned about dry mouth and bad breath. Dry mouth is a potential health problem that does not have to be endured. A person does not have to suffer from embarrassment because bad breath precedes them into the room. In most cases it can be eliminated. Take the necessary steps that will eliminate or manage bad breath and dry mouth. Its not fun when people talk about you because of bad breath. A true friend will let you know there is a breath odor and make sure you are well.