Your mouth’s natural saliva production plays several important roles in your mouth. While it primarily helps to lubricate food while chewing and to facilitate easy swallowing, saliva also helps wash away lingering food particles after you are done eating.

This helps to naturally reduce your chances of suffering from tartar buildup and the chronic plaque acids associated with gum disease and tooth decay. If something impedes your natural saliva production the bacteria living in your mouth can start to exploit sugar residues and food particles, which could lead to oral health problems and chronic bad breath.

Identifying the factors causing your dry mouth problem can help a dentist develop an effective treatment strategy to help restore your mouth’s essential moisture.

Sometimes a new medication can contribute to chronic dry mouth symptoms. In other instances, chronic dehydration from something like frequent alcohol consumption or tobacco use might also lead to reduced saliva production.

It’s also worth noting that early signs of a developing oral or pharyngeal cancer can sometimes reduce your mouth’s ability to produce saliva. Early diagnosis of these serious oral health conditions can significantly improve your treatment success rate.

If you live in the Boise, Idaho, area and you have been struggling with chronic dry mouth problems, you should call 208-350-6795 to set up an appointment with one of our skilled dentists at High Desert Dental. Drs. Matthew Fethke, Dr. Matthew Kooyman and Dr. Trista Pottenger look forward to assisting you!