Xerostomia
Dry mouth occurs when a person’s mouth lacks sufficient saliva to keep it moist. We all get dry mouth at times but a person who experiences dry mouth all the time suffers from a condition called xerostomia. Saliva is more than just a mouth moisturizer—it also aids chewing swallowing and digestion controls the amount of bacteria and fungi in our mouths cleans the teeth and gums and protects them from decay. It also remineralizes the teeth by providing necessary doses of calcium and phosphate. Xerostomia then can affect a person’s diet nutritional health speech and sense of taste; lower a person’s ability to tolerate dental treatments especially those involving dental reconstruction; and leave a person more prone to dental caries or tooth structure decay.
