Dry Mouth

Dry mouth or xerostomia, does it worry you? Sometimes do you feel unhappy with that?

Do you want to know what is it and how is organized the management of saliva? All you need about that subject are on this page.

It is characterized by a lack or stop of production of saliva in the mouth.

The oral cavity becomes dry instead of being wet causing other intolerable inconvenient such as: accumulation of great quantities of food particles on the teeth.

Fortunately, that is not a disease but the consequence of other diseases or their treatment.

Composition and origin of saliva

Usually saliva is an alkaline substance but if it is too acid, (under 5.5) the enamel of teeth will be exposed to caries.

Three categories of glands are responsible of management of saliva secretion which is somewhat different in their composition:

• Parotid

Known as salivary glands partly albuminous they have cells rich in protein but little mucin (another protein found in the saliva)

• Sublingual and buccal mucous membrane glands

More often partly mucous this category known also as mixed glands contains much mucin and very little protein.

• Sub maxillary

Often partly mixed contains mucin, protein and a considerable amount of mineral matter etc, finally two enzymes, ptyalin and maltose ( factors facilitating the food digestion).

Role

The free flow of saliva in the mouth plays an important role in the cleansing of the teeth. It washes food debris away and keep the cavity very wet to prevent xerostomia.

• Prevents from food debris to adhere on the teeth surfaces.

• Facilitates the remineralization of teeth after acid or sweet food action by its mineral contents.

• It Protects mouth against overabundance of microbes (infection).

• Allows to taste and swallow food

It is urgent, if you have dry mouth, to treat it. Let continue this step for a longer time exposes you to tooth decay, bad breath.

The knowledge of causes dry mouth and dry mouth symptoms will help for the management of xerostomia and treatment dry mouth.

From Dry Mouth To Cosmetic Dentistry