Medications for allergies, pain relief, weight loss, anxiety and more can cause dry mouth, as can pregnancy, menopause, alcohol use, dentists say.Getty Images
Instead of drinking water when your mouth feels dry, use a hydrating mouthrinse, says Maddahi. Bioténe’s, which earned the ADA’s Seal of Acceptance, stops dry mouth symptoms for up to four hours by soothing, lubricating and moisturizing. It also can help stimulate saliva production since it’s made with xylitol. The mouthwash’s minty flavor freshens breath, and it helps your mouth maintain a balanced pH, too — the mouth’s pH becomes more acidic due to a lack of saliva, which neutralizes acids, according to the dentists I talked to. The brand recommends swishing it around in your mouth for about 30 seconds before spitting it out, and says you can use it up to five times a day.
These dissolvable tablets can relieve dry mouth symptoms for up to eight hours, according to the brand. You place a tablet on one or both sides of the mouth outside of a molar, putting the tan side against your gum and the white side against your teeth. Move it into a comfortable spot with your tongue, and then don’t touch it — it will start to adhere to your gums so it stays in place. The tablet slowly releases xylitol to lubricate the mouth and stimulate saliva production throughout the day, or you can apply it for overnight relief. XyliMelts are also made with calcium carbonate, an ingredient that helps prevent plaque and tooth decay, according to the brand. They can neutralize acids, too, preventing tooth damage like weakened enamel. The tablets come in three flavors: cinnamon, mild mint and slightly sweet.
If the tablets above sound like a hassle to apply, or you don’t love the idea of them staying in your mouth for hours, lozenges for dry mouth are another option you can try. Act’s lozenges slowly dissolve in your mouth like cough drops, and they’re made with xylitol to stimulate saliva production, as well as glycerin to moisturize and soothe tissue. The lozenges, which are available in mint and lemon flavors, freshen breath, too.
This thick gel is highly concentrated with 44% xylitol, so the brand says its best for those with severe dry mouth or overnight use. You squeeze a half-inch strip on your tongue and spread it around your mouth, letting its ingredients, including glycerin, moisturize and soothe oral tissues. The gel’s mint flavor also freshens breath, and it helps the mouth maintain a neutral pH.
Oral sprays are a lubricant that usually feel like an oil, and a few spritzes almost immediately relieve the feeling of dry mouth, says Lloyd. CariFree’s Oral Spray comes highly recommended by NBC Select editorial operations associate Jem Alabi. She gets “a very serious case of dry mouth” from certain foods and drinks, and says this spray is her go-to solution. “It freshens my breath in a way that lasts for hours, and I love that it comes in a pack of four so I can keep one at work, home and in my travel backpack,” says Alabi. “The mint flavor is mild and doesn’t sting like some others can, but it also comes in a grape flavor if you want to switch it up.” The spray’s gentle formula, which contains xylitol, helps neutralize acids in your mouth to balance its pH as well, and it’s safe if you swallow it, according to the brand.
Chewing naturally causes saliva production, so you can use sugar-free gum as a saliva stimulant, says Lloyd. There’s options specifically made for dry mouth (like this one from Act), but any sugar-free option will do. “You don’t have to look for a really expensive way to manage dry mouth,” says Lloyd. “Whatever you can do to hyper-stimulate your salivary gland and tastebuds to produce saliva in healthy situations is beneficial.”
Orbit’s ADA-accepted, sugar-free gum is my all-time favorite option. It’s available in five flavors: sweet mint, bubblemint, spearmint, peppermint and wintermint. Each resealable pack comes with 14 pieces.
“Brushing your teeth gently at least twice a day with a fluoridated toothpaste may help provide relief from or prevent adverse consequences of dry mouth,” says Messina. Some toothpastes are specifically formulated for those with dry mouth, including this one from Bioténe. It won’t irritate your mouth or worsen symptoms, according to the brand, and it has a mild minty flavor to help freshen breath. The toothpaste’s fluoride fights cavities, remineralizes tooth enamel to strengthen it, making it more resistant to decay, and reduces bacteria in the mouth, plus it’s free from sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a detergent that makes toothpaste foamy, yet some people are sensitive to.
Consider getting an oscillating electric toothbrush if you have dry mouth, which cleans teeth more deeply than a manual toothbrush, says Lloyd. It removes built-up grime that the little saliva in your mouth couldn’t wash away, and dislodges gunk between teeth. “The oscillating bristle tips not only remove debris that they come in contact with, but their vibrating effects move beyond the bristles and can cause things to be removed from teeth two or three millimeters away from their ends,” he says.
Oral-B’s Pro 1000 Electric Toothbrush has all the features dentists recommend looking for in a quality toothbrush: the ADA Seal of Acceptance, a two-minute timer, a pressure sensor and a small round head to reach all of your mouth’s nooks and crannies. The brush head is also easily replaceable — dentists recommend swapping it out every three months and after you’re sick. Oral-B’s electric toothbrush lets you choose between three cleaning modes, and it comes with a charger stand. The battery lasts for about 10 days when fully charged, according to the brand.
Some of the causes below are lifelong, unavoidable conditions that lead to chronic dry mouth, says Lloyd. Other causes are temporary, and once addressed, people may be “cured” of dry mouth or experience it less severely.
Taking certain medications: Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that causes salivation, says Maddahi. Certain medications can impact that neurotransmitter by blocking it, which leads to decreased saliva production and, in turn, dry mouth. On other hand, some medications decrease fluid in the circulatory system, leading to dehydration and related saliva production. Examples of medications that usually cause dry mouth include those for anxiety, depression, pain, blood pressure, kidney dysfunction, urinary incontinence, allergies and weight loss. If you visit a company’s website, you can often read its medications’ labels and check which have “xerostomia” or “dry mouth” listed as a side effect. Messina says that those who take multiple medications are at higher risk for experiencing dry mouth compared to those who take only one.
Mouth breathing: People often struggle to breathe through their nose if they have seasonal allergies and/or a deviated septum, says Maddahi. In these cases, people breathe through their mouth by keeping it open more than usual, which can dry it out, reduce saliva and cause gum inflammation around the top and bottom front teeth.
Cannabis, tobacco, vape and alcohol use: All four can dry out the mouth, as well as cause dehydration. Smoking tobacco also often damages the salivary glands, which produce saliva, and irritates the mouth’s mucous membranes. Maddahi says any form of cannabis can lead to dry mouth, including gummies and other edibles.
Cancer treatments: Chemotherapy usually leads to a temporary reduction in salivary gland function, so they produce less saliva during treatment, but regulate as damaged tissue heals, says Messina. If you’re treated for head and/or neck cancer with targeted radiation therapy, the salivary glands are usually permanently impacted and will no longer be able to function properly, says Lloyd.
Diseases and other medical conditions: Those with autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes and Sjögren disease have a higher rate of dry mouth, says Lloyd. Dry mouth is also associated with other diseases, like Covid-19, cystic fibrosis and HIV/AIDS, as well as medical conditions like stroke and uncontrolled hypertension, says Messina. It’s related to hormonal changes, like during pregnancy and menopause, too.
There’s numerous symptoms of dry mouth, but asking his patients one question often lets Maddahi make a quick diagnosis: Do you sleep with water next to your bed? People who have dry mouth tend to wake up in the middle of the night to drink water because they’re desperate to get rid of the sticky, burning, tingling feeling associated with it. They also usually guzzle a glass of water first thing in the morning, and constantly carry around a water bottle to sip from throughout the day.
Rampant cavities and sudden tooth delay are other common symptoms of dry mouth that dentists worry about. If you don’t produce enough saliva, the number of cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth exponentially increases. And it doesn’t just cause one or two new cavities — Lloyd says he’s seen patients with up to 30 cavities that seemingly pop up out of nowhere, and with no prior history of oral health problems.
Other symptoms of dry mouth include:
Trouble swallowing and chewing
Labored speech
Altered taste, causing food and drinks to be bland and flavorless
Intolerance for spicy, salty, or sour food and drinks
Mouth injuries like cuts and sores, which often take a while to heal
Bad breath (halitosis)
Dry, sore throat and hoarseness
Dry, rough tongue
Cracked, peeling, atrophic and/or sticky lips
Oral fungal infection (candidiasis)
Frequent ulcers underneath dentures and artificial teeth
Problems keeping dentures and artificial teeth in place
Because those with dry mouth produce such little saliva, it’s important to avoid anything that can exacerbate the condition, make you more uncomfortable and increase your chance of tooth decay. To ensure that the small amount of saliva available can work as efficiently as possible, dentists recommend avoiding the below if you have dry mouth.
Alcohol-based mouthwashes: Most mouthwashes are made with alcohol, which acts as a disinfectant and kills bacteria that can lead to bad breath, gum disease and cavities. But it also has a drying effect, so those with dry mouth should stick to alcohol-free formulas, says Lloyd.
Excessively drinking water: It’s a natural instinct to drink water when your mouth feels dry, but in excess, water makes the condition worse. “Water doesn’t do anything to help your mouth, but saliva does,” says Maddahi. “By constantly drinking water, you’re diluting the very little saliva you have and reducing its effectiveness even further.” Instead, reach for a saliva stimulating product like a mouthrinse, spray or tablet, and save water strictly for hydration.
Food and drinks high in sugar: Saliva neutralizes the acids produced by bacteria feeding on sugar in your mouth, and washes sugar off your teeth so it doesn’t sit on enamel. If you don’t produce enough saliva to perform either of these functions effectively, you’re at high risk for tooth decay, so cut back on sugary foods and drinks, including sucking candies and soda, dentists say.
Caffeinated and alcoholic beverages, and spicy food: They all have drying effects on the mouth.
If you have dry mouth, you’re more likely to get cavities and have other oral health issues. To catch problems early if they arise, Maddahi says those with dry mouth should go to the dentist every three months rather than every six months, which is the standard recommendation from the ADA.
Older adults are more likely to experience dry mouth, says Messina. In fact, it affects an estimated 30% of people older than 65 and up to 40% of people older than 80, according to the ADA. Dry mouth isn’t a direct consequence of aging, however, since adults only produce moderately less saliva compared to younger adults, says Lloyd. The biggest contributing factor to dry mouth prevalence among this population is medication usage. Many older adults take medications, often multiple at a time, to control conditions like hypertension, urinary incontinence and diabetes.
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
Dr. Patrick Lloyd is the dean of the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine.
Dr. Kourosh Maddahi is a dentist at Dion Health in California, and the founder and CEO of Lumineux.
Dr. Matthew Messina is an associate professor at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and the clinic director of Ohio State’s Upper Arlington Dentistry.
I’m a reporter at NBC Select who has been covering dental care and oral health for over five years. I’ve written articles about numerous types of toothpaste, teeth whitening treatments, whitening strips, mouthwash, floss, water flossers and more. I’ve interviewed dozens of dentists throughout my career, and constantly test dental care products to learn what’s new on the market. To write this article, I talked to three dentists about dry mouth and rounded up over the counter treatments that align with their guidance.
