Causes, Symptoms And Natural Remedies For Cottonmouth

Introduction

People with cottonmouth associated with cancer treatment often experience symptoms such as dysphagia and chapped lips. The new research from the UK found that these symptoms would be improved after several weeks of having acupuncture. Richard Simcock, Ph.D. from the Sussex Cancer Center in Brighton said that except for radiation therapy, these patients did not have any other choices of treatment. Therefore, do not miss out our following useful article of causes, symptoms and natural remedies for cottonmouth.

Causes of Cottonmouth

First, we should figure out the reason for this disease. There are a lot of causes you should consider. The disease surely makes you extremely unpleasant, so it is necessary to know the causes, symptoms and natural remedies for cottonmouth.

In the past, it was thought that aging partly caused cottonmouth. But today people realize that cottonmouth is mainly due to the drugs are taken by older people rather than their ages. Some common medications including over-the-counter drugs such as antidepressants, antihistamines, antihypertensive drugs, anti-diarrhea medications, muscle relaxants, urinary incontinence medications, Parkinson's medications bring about dry mouth.

The shortage of saliva (a symptom of cottonmouth) is a fairly common problem, but few people are aware of its undesirable effects. You are advised not be too subjective because cottonmouth can affect your food's taste and oral health. The disease is mainly due to the side effects of the drug. Let’s read the article to learn how to get rid of cottonmouth.

Functions of saliva

In fact, saliva in the mouth has many functions. Most notably, it helps you to talk comfortably and fluently.

Besides, saliva also contributes to preventing tooth decay, removes food and plaque from the teeth. Mineral salt in the saliva helps to fight the damage to teeth. Further, saliva restricts the growth of anaerobic bacteria in your mouth. These bacteria can destroy tooth enamel that causes oral infections. In addition, saliva can neutralize the acid damaging the mouth.

Further, saliva stimulates your appetite, making it easier for you to swallow food. The enzymes in saliva help digest some of the food while you are chewing.

On average, every day, a healthy adult produces about 1.2 to 1.5 liters of saliva. In case you secrete less salivation than this normal level, you may suffer from dry mouth, also called xerostomia or cottonmouth. Please follow the next part to learn about characteristic symptoms of cottonmouth and gain how to get rid of cottonmouth.

Other causes to be pay attention

• Snoring or opening your mouth while sleeping
• Chemotherapy for cancer reduces the production of saliva. The radiation therapy (use radiation to treat cancer) to the head and neck can cause damage to salivary glands.
• Smoking tobacco causes harmful effects on the production of saliva, making cottonmouth more and more severe.
• Nerve damage to the head and neck due to trauma or surgery
• Anxiety and depression
• Autoimmune disease: Sjogren's syndrome.
• Alzheimer
• Endocrine disorders
• Stroke

It is certain that after identifying what leads to cottonmouth, it is easier for you to discover how to get rid of cottonmouth.

Symptoms of cottonmouth

Before exploring the final part of causes, symptoms and natural remedies for cottonmouth, you have to acquire its symptoms. Apart from dryness of your mouth, you have other symptoms as follows:

• You find it hard to talk and swallow.
• The amount of plaque on teeth increases.
• The saliva gets thicker and tougher.
• The feeling of food taste changes.
• The area of ​​your mouth becomes dry and cracked.
• You feel hot and uncomfortable at your tongue.
• You have difficulties in breathing.

Natural remedies for cottonmouth

Depending on the cause and the medical history (what kind of drug you are using, what diseases you are having), you can find how to get rid of cottonmouth. Sometimes the ultrasound of salivary glands may be taken to find specific causes.

To find out the disease’s causes, patients need a comprehensive examination. The doctor will discover the reasons with a range of questions about the patients. It is necessary to list the diseases that the patients are now having as well as those he has undergone. Besides, getting more information about the time of disease treatment and drug dosage.

If you have cottonmouth because of drugs, your doctor may adjust the dose or ask you to use another medication that does not cause dry mouth.

In case the causes are unknown or cannot be resolved (for example, you are taking radiation therapy), some pieces of advice on how to get rid of cottonmouth below can help you improve symptoms of cottonmouth and keep your teeth healthy:

• Breathe through your nose rather than your mouth
• Increase the humidity in the air at night
• Chew sugarless gum
• Do not use mouthwashes containing alcohol
• Hard candies with no sugar or less sweetness
• Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste. Ask your dentist if you can benefit from prescribed fluoride toothpaste.
• Avoid hard candies with lemon taste because the high acid in the candy makes your teeth worse
• Stop smoking tobacco
• Eat types of candy that can supplement your teeth with calcium and phosphorus
• Do not use antihistamines and nasal decongestants, which can exacerbate the disease’s symptoms.
• Limit the consumption of caffeine, which can dry your mouth
• Avoid sweet or sour foods because they increase the risk of tooth decay.
• Regular taste water with the tip of the tongue
• Ask your doctor to prescribe kinds of medications such as pilocarpine that can stimulate salivary gland secretions.

Alternative medicine when you have cottonmouth

Besides tips on how to get rid of cottonmouth, studies on acupuncture have shown that acupuncture is helpful for the people with cottonmouth that comes from different causes. This treatment involves the use of thin needles jabbed at specific areas of the body.

Nevertheless, using acupuncture helps them feel at ease. They are given an opportunity to learn how to keep their mouth clean. Besides, they can attend training sessions on traditional acupuncture in their head and fingers that are believed to affect their salivary glands.

Verdict

Hopefully, the article above provides you with helpful information on causes, symptoms and natural remedies for cottonmouth. If you follow these tips and regularly keep your mouth clean, signs of cottonmouth will be rapidly removed.