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Having insufficient saliva can cause discomfort in your mouth and lead to dental issues, as saliva plays a vital role in protecting your teeth. If your natural saliva production is low, there are various methods to increase it. Utilizing common foods and household items is often the simplest approach to boost saliva production. However, if saliva production remains extremely low despite your efforts, medical treatment is also an option.
Steps
Boosting Saliva Through Food and Beverages
Try chewing gum. One of the easiest and quickest ways to stimulate saliva production is by chewing gum. Chewing signals your body that you are eating and prompts saliva production to aid in food digestion.
- Opt for sugar-free gum if you struggle with saliva production issues. Insufficient saliva already puts your dental health at risk, so adding sugar to your mouth exacerbates the problem.
- Xylitol-sweetened gum or candy is a preferable choice that can help prevent cavities.
Try sucking on a lozenge, hard candy, mint, or lollipop. Sucking on something slightly tart or sweet can stimulate your salivary glands. Opt for sugar-free options like sugar-free mints to protect your teeth.
- Consider choosing a tart-flavored lollipop, candy, or lozenge for optimal gland stimulation.
Keep yourself hydrated. Maintaining adequate hydration is crucial for combating dry mouth. Drink water regularly to ensure your body stays hydrated, your mouth remains moist, and mucus in your mouth is loosened.
Hydrate with a beverage. Drinking something can instantly moisturize your mouth and kickstart saliva production.
- Avoid beverages containing alcohol or caffeine, as they can hinder saliva production.
Consume foods that promote saliva production. Certain foods can effectively stimulate salivary glands to increase saliva production due to their texture, sugar content, acidity, or bitterness. These include:
- Apples
- Hard cheeses
- Crunchy vegetables
- Citrus fruits
- Bitter greens
Exploring Over-the-Counter Products and Home Remedies
Try an apple cider vinegar mouthwash. A simple homemade remedy to boost saliva production involves mixing apple cider vinegar with water. Combine a tablespoon of vinegar with a glass of water, swish the mixture in your mouth for about a minute, then spit it out.
- This remedy acts as a mouthwash, breath freshener, and mouth moisturizer all at once.
Consider using over-the-counter artificial saliva. Pharmacies offer various products designed to alleviate dry mouth. These products are applied at regular intervals to hydrate the mouth and stimulate saliva production.
- They come in different forms such as sprays, gels, or mouth rinses.
Address snoring and mouth breathing during sleep. Sleeping with an open mouth and snoring are common causes of dry mouth and reduced saliva production. To prevent dry mouth in the morning, maintain a normal saliva level, adjust your sleeping position, clear your nasal airway, and adopt lifestyle changes to facilitate breathing.
- Open mouth breathing and snoring during sleep decrease mouth moisture.
- If lifestyle changes and adjusting sleep position don't help, consult a doctor for alternative solutions.
Exploring Medical Solutions
Consult your doctor about persistent dry mouth issues. If you're experiencing chronic dry mouth, discuss potential causes and treatments with your doctor. Adequate saliva production is essential, so seek medical attention if home remedies prove ineffective.
Avoid medications known to cause dry mouth. If you're on a medication that triggers dry mouth, discuss alternative options with your doctor. There might be another medication suitable for your condition without the side effect of dry mouth.
- Many medications, including common ones like Benadryl, acetaminophen, and Claritin, are linked to dry mouth.
Address any underlying medical conditions. Serious cases of dry mouth often stem from medical issues. It could result from medical treatments or underlying health conditions.
Consider medication to stimulate saliva production. If your saliva production is critically low, your doctor might prescribe medication to boost it. Various drugs could be prescribed based on your symptoms and underlying health issues.
- Salagen is frequently prescribed to combat low saliva production.
- Evoxac is used to increase saliva production in individuals with Sjögren's syndrome, a condition causing dry eyes, mouth, and skin.
