DRY MOUTH AT NIGHT

For a person experiencing dry mouth at night, one should understand the cause of the problem in order to determine the best solutions. Possible causes include:

• Breathing/snoring problem. Breathing through the mouth can be caused by blockages due to colds or allergies or it may be related to structural issues such as a deviated nasal septum or turbinates. Structural problems may require surgical procedures for correction. Sleep apnea is interruption of breathing while you sleep. This condition can be caused by the soft tissue in the back of your throat relaxing during sleep and blocking the airway and is often associated with loud snoring (obstructive sleep apnea). It can also be caused by the brain failing to signal the muscles that control breathing (central sleep apnea) or it can be a combination of the two types of sleep apnea. A physician should be consulted to see if the solution is treatment of a medical condition or can be treated with breathing devices to manage the obstruction or to use a CPAP machine (Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure).
• Medical conditions. Dry mouth can be caused by medical conditions such as Sjogren's Syndrome or diabetes. See the separate pages on these conditions.
• Medications for various diseases or medical conditions. Most medications, both OTC and prescription, causes dry mouth as a side effect of the drug. Common cold and allergy drugs cause dry mouth. Drugs for high blood pressure, depression, pain, Parkinson's, sleep, asthma, arthritis, cholesterol lowering, osteoporosis, ulcer, urinary incontinence, prostate, ADD/ADHD, etc. will cause dry mouth. Over 1800 medications cause dry mouth.

Dry Mouth can cause a series of other problems:

• Problems in the mouth: Frequent thirst, sores in the mouth, cracked lips, sores at the corner of the mouth, burning/tingling sensations in the mouth and tongue, difficulty in chewing and swallowing food, difficulty in speaking, bad breath (halitosis)
• Infections. Candidiasis (thrush) which is a fungal infection
• Oral health problems: Increase in cavities, inflammation of gums which result in bleeding gums (gingivitis) and severe inflammation with loss of teeth (periodontitis)

As can be seen, saliva is an important lubricant which maintains the health of the mouth and washes away bacteria to prevent many oral health problems.

For people with dry mouth, the main complaint is relief of dryness. Drinking water at night and having mouth rinses to relieve dryness are typical temporary solutions. Salese is a lozenge which offers additional advantages. The lozenge is long lasting and, if parked in the mouth, can last many hours. Throughout the time in the mouth, Salese releases a natural ingredient to give the moist mouth feel and thus offers relief for many hours. In addition, Salese addresses the oral health issues with different natural ingredients. Salese neutralizes the cavity causing acids from bacteria. Through xylitol and essential oils, Salese reduces the levels of bacteria in the mouth. It is the bacteria which builds up in terms of plaque that causes gum diseases. Salese also addresses the problem of bad breath since it captures and eliminates volatile sulfur compounds, the source of the odors.