Some of your prescription medication can be making your mouth dry (also called xerostomia). The dry mouth condition happens when the salivary glands cannot produce enough saliva to keep the natural moisture in your mouth. This side effect from medication is not only an unpleasant experience, but it can impact your oral health. If you are not being able to keep your mouth moist and your dry mouth persists, this can lead to having a sore throat, bad breath, tooth decay, oral infections, gum disease and mouth sores.

A wide range of medications available in the market, including over-the-counter drugs, provoke dry mouth as a side effect. These drugs generally affect the nervous system and they disrupt the saliva production. Around one thousand medications have the potential of causing dry mouth. Today nearly half of the American adult population is prescribed a medication that produces dry mouth. These medications include Alzheimer’s disease drugs (Aricept and Razadyne), anticholinergics (Atropen, Toviaz), antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs), antihistamines (Allegra, Claritin), benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium), decongestants (Afrin, Sudafed), bronchodilators (Flonase, Advair), analgesics (Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Tylenol, Codeine), and stimulants (Adderall, Concerta.)

There are some easy treatments against dry mouth side effect that do not require you leaving the medication. Chewing sugar-free gum will stimulate the saliva production and improve mouth moisture. You can drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and minimize dry mouth. You can use a humidifier, limit your tobacco use and caffeine intake, or rinse your mouth with a mouthwash to improve your oral health. If the condition persists, you can use over-the-counter saliva substitutes like Mouth Kote or Biotene Oral Balance gel. When patients experience severe dry mouth caused by medication, your dentist may prescribe you with Salagen or Evoxac to help stimulate saliva production. It is important that your healthcare provider assesses whether these dry mouth drugs may interact with your current medication before taking them.

If you are experiencing dry mouth from medication you have been prescribed, make sure to check periodically your oral health with Dr. Herbert Birnbaum.

Contact Dr. Birnbaum today at (617) 965-1400 or book your appointment for your professional dental checkup today.