What Living With Dry Mouth Is Really Like
One woman’s story of how dry mouth affects her daily life.
It’s one thing to have a parched mouth when you’re thirsty or to experience cracked lips as the weather gets cooler, but it’s quite another to live with dry mouth.
Unfortunately, many people have to deal with the symptoms of dry mouth, which can be caused by anything from certain medications to health conditions like diabetes and even aging. If you think you may be dealing with dry mouth, it’s worth bringing up symptoms to your dentist, as it can affect your daily life in some bothersome ways.
Below is one woman’s, Danielle D., 45, from Fort Mill, SC, story of living with dry mouth, which was the diagnosis from her health care professional. She hopes her story inspires those dealing with dry mouth to seek help and to realize they’re not alone in their experiences.
Where Did Her Dry Mouth Come From?
At 45 years of age, Danielle is dealing with a few health conditions, and as a result, has been on a multitude of treatments. She’s not exactly sure what’s causing her dry mouth symptoms, but they tend to bother her on a daily basis.
“I’ve been dealing with dry mouth for a few years now, and it’s really bothersome and embarrassing,” she explains, going on to note that she’s taking medication for “depression, insomnia, migraines, pain (arthritis and fibromyalgia),” all of which take up a lot of time and energy to deal with.
What Does Dry Mouth Feel Like?
Typical dry mouth symptoms include a “sticky mouth” that feels absent of saliva, bad breath, and even a changed sense of taste. In this particular woman’s case, she’s dealing with them all.
“Usually it’s the worst when I wake up in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning. It feels like I have no saliva, no moisture, and often it’s hard to talk because it’s almost like my tongue is stuck in my mouth in a weird way,” she says. “I love water and drink a lot, but it doesn’t seem to help that much.”
She went on to say that her dry mouth issues not only seem to increase bad breath, but can affect the taste of certain foods.
What’s the Best Way to Manage Dry Mouth?
It’s important to manage dry mouth with products especially designed to do so, rather than relying on gum or candy to increase moisture. Biotene is the #1 Dentist Recommended Dry Mouth brand, with products that are specially formulated to manage dry mouth and relieve the symptoms, and that have a pH similar to natural saliva.
In addition to the Biotène Dry Mouth Oral Rinse (which also comes in a gentle formula) and Biotène Oralbalance Moisturizing Gel, Biotène also has a portable moisturizing spray that provides soothing relief, along with a fresh mint taste.