What You Need To Know About Dry Mouth, Also Known As Xerostomia
What You Need To Know About Dry Mouth, Also Known As Xerostomia experienced and suffered from dry mouth, also known as xerostomia. Many of us, perhaps, experience this from time to time. According to oral care experts from Dentist Abilene, who have studied xerostomia and have counseled and treated patients suffering from it, said that dry mouth should not be taken lightly because it is a significant medical condition that needs immediate attention and treatment. “Many patients, even though they suffer from it, choose to ignore dry mouth. They think it’s perfectly normal, especially after a heavy or strenuous physical activity,” said one of the dentists. “Our saliva performs a vast number of functions. If we don’t do something about dry mouth, then it limits the ability of our saliva to perform those functions,” he added. Dentists in Abilene explained that the digestive process starts with our saliva. “It initiates it,” said one of the dentists. The saliva mediates the sensation of taste because it allows the stimuli, which is dissolved with the help of saliva, to direct the taste buds to tell us what a food or a drink tastes like. It also has an antimicrobial component. “It does a lot of things that many of us take for granted,” said a Dental Abilene oral care expert. The saliva, he explained, helps us chew food (mastication) and swallow food (deglutition). It also helps us every time we talk, as well as contributes in maintaining the proper pH balance of our oral cavity. “Without the saliva performing that function,” explained the dentist, “the integrity of both the teeth and oral mucosa suffers.” Another important function of the saliva is that it maintains the amount and types of oral bacteria that are normally found in a healthy mouth, or the normal oral flora that a person has. Dentistry Abilene oral care experts said that a decrease in the amount of saliva in our mouth, also known as hyposalivation, could be fatal and lead to a number of diseases which include oral candidiasis or oral thrush, a fungal infection which affects those suffering from dry mouth. “It also increases the number of cavities or decay in our mouth, as well as inflame the so-called oral mucosa,” said a DDS in Abilene. Other effects of hyposalivation include the loss of our sense of taste, which is also called dysgeusia. “If this happens, we could have difficulties in our speech. We would also find it hard to chew food properly and even to swallow it. That’s why it is important to seek treatment if you are suffering from dry mouth. The moment symptoms occur, consult your dentist immediately,” the dentist said. Some of the reasons for the occurrence of hyposalivation include head and neck radiation during a cancer treatment procedure, as well as the destruction of the salivary gland, which usually happens in diseases such as Sjogren’s syndrome, a calcification that blocks the salivary ducts. By: Zyra Robinson Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, which occurs in some patients, should be treated immediately because it can reduce the number of functions of the saliva according to Dentist Abilene. |