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A Dry Mouth Can Be Dangerous to Your Teeth

Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry found that adults with dry mouth, a common side effect of medicines, were about 50% more likely to lose at least one tooth during the three-year study than those with normal saliva flow. Why is dry mouth a factor in tooth loss? Saliva provides protective minerals, removes germs and food residue from teeth and neutralizes acids in plaque.

The Solution?

Make sure to drink a minimum of 8-10 glasses of water a day, avoiding coffee, tea and soda. Ice chips and sugar-free gum with sorbitol stimulate saliva flow. For more difficult cases there are over-the-counter saliva substitutes or prescription medication called Salagen that makes oral glands produce more saliva.

As recently reported in the May/June 2005 issue of General Dentistry, studies have shown that acupuncture therapy has been credited with increasing salivary flow and decreasing symptoms of dry mouth in seven radiation patients for a period up to 8 months following treatment.

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