Symptoms & conditions
Dry mouth
The short answer
Persistent dry mouth (xerostomia) is not trivial — it accelerates decay, gum disease, and bad breath by removing saliva's protective role. Common causes: medications (blood-pressure, antihistamines, antidepressants), mouth-breathing at night, dehydration, diabetes, or radiation therapy. Diagnosis first; then targeted fix.
What's happening
The clinical picture
Your salivary glands normally produce ~1 litre of saliva daily. Saliva neutralises acid, washes away food, and contains antibacterial enzymes. When production drops — by 50% before most people notice — bacteria multiply unchecked. Cavity rates double or triple, gum disease accelerates, dentures stop fitting comfortably, and even speech gets harder. A medication list is the single most useful thing to bring to the exam: over 400 common drugs cause xerostomia, and the cure is often just swapping to a drier-mouth-safer alternative with your GP.
Warning signs
Contact us the same day if:
- Waking at night to drink water repeatedly
- Difficulty swallowing dry food
- Multiple new cavities in 6 months
- Cracked lips or sore tongue
- A burning or altered taste sensation
What we do
Our approach
Salivary flow test (simple — we measure what you produce in 5 minutes). Review your medication list, refer to a GP if swapping is reasonable. Prescription fluoride toothpaste (5000 ppm), xylitol gum between meals, saliva substitutes, and more frequent (3-month) professional cleanings. For diabetics and radiation-therapy patients we set up a full preventive plan.
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