What is Dry Mouth? | What Causes Dry Mouth? | Treatment for Dry Mouth | Keep Your Mouth Healthy | FAQs
Saliva does more than keep your mouth wet. It protects teeth from decay, helps heal sores in your mouth, and prevents infection by controlling bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the mouth.
Saliva helps digest food and helps us chew and swallow. Saliva is involved in taste perception as well. Each of these functions of saliva is hampered when a person has dry mouth.
Dry mouth can be uncomfortable. Some people notice a sticky, dry feeling in the mouth. Others notice a burning feeling or difficulty while eating. The throat may feel dry, too, making swallowing difficult. Also, people with dry mouth may get mouth sores, cracked lips, and a dry, rough tongue.
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