When you wake up in the morning, you want to be able to conquer your day feeling the best you can. However, when you experience or suffer from chronic dry mouth, you can feel uncomfortable throughout your day. If you’re dealing with this on a near-daily basis, you likely want to find out if this is tied to any underlying medical conditions and if there are ways to address this.
In cases of chronic dry mouth, there is more than likely a medical explanation behind it, as well as a series of basic treatments that can help you overcome this condition. The professionals at Aesthetic Smiles are here to help you understand where this is coming from and how you can fix it.
What Causes Dry Mouth At Night?
There are many different reasons that you are experiencing dry mouth. One of them is that you lack the right amount of saliva. Saliva production takes place in your salivary glands, and it helps you keep your teeth and mouth healthy. When you lack saliva, it results in a dry mouth.
Another major cause may be that you are living with untreated sleep apnea. While there are many different types of sleep apnea, the most common form is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleeping disorder that affects over 100 million people across the globe. It affects how you breathe through your mouth when sleeping, and as a result, people with sleep apnea do not always have the most restful sleep patterns. A significant side effect of OSA is dry mouth due to the fact you aren’t breathing correctly, and you fail to stimulate saliva.
Why You Should Treat Your Dry Mouth
While dry mouth can be tolerable, it can cause damage to your mouth and, ultimately, your health. Failure to treat this condition can put you at higher risk of the following more serious conditions:
Tooth decay
Gum disease
Increased plague
Mouth sores
Although sleep apnea is a serious condition and does increase the risk of other issues, there are effective treatment options available if you start to notice any of the symptoms, such as dry mouth.
Ways to Help Treat Dry Mouth
Since sleep apnea is a major cause of dry mouth, we recommend that you talk to your doctor or visit your nearest sleep apnea treatment center to determine if you have it. If you do, your doctor could prescribe continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy — however, this treatment is known not to improve dry mouth.
Your doctor can still give you alternate options to help you solve both issues. One of our most popular options is Vivos, a cost-effective appliance that helps you control your breathing and get better sleep each and every night.
A few easy ways to prevent dry mouth at home include the following:
Making sure you drink enough water
Get the right medications
Use dry mouth tape on at night
Use a humidifier
Limit caffeine and alcohol
If you have experienced dry mouth, there is a strong possibility that it could be linked to sleep apnea. With Aesthetic Smiles on your side, we can help you feel fresh every morning without having to worry about the risk factors associated with sleep apnea and dry mouth. Contact our Portland, OR offices today for more information on what we offer, from sleep apnea treatment to state-of-the-art jaw alignment devices such as the Myoligner!
Comments