Occasional dry mouth is normal. For instance, your mouth gets dry when you’re dehydrated. But chronic dry mouth (when your mouth is dry all the time) could point to an underlying health condition. Most often, xerostomia is a side effect of certain medications, including.

Symptoms and Causes

The hallmark symptom of xerostomia is a feeling of stickiness in mouth due to a lack of saliva. When patient speaks, it might feel like his/her tongue sticks to the palates (hard and soft palates).

Other possible dry mouth symptoms include:

• Bad breath.
• Constant sore throat.
• Difficulty eating, speaking or swallowing.
• Dry nose.
• Hoarseness.
• Increased thirst.
• Lip, tongue and mouth sores or pain.
• Taste disorders.
• Trouble wearing dentures.

More severe symptoms could include:

• Tooth decay.
• Dry eyes and skin.
• Skin rash.
• Joint pain.

What causes xerostomia or dry mouth?

Xerostomia happens when something causes our salivary glands to produce less saliva for example:

• Certain medications especially allopathic.
• Underlying health conditions like cysts, cancers, lymphomas etc.
• Radiation therapy, especially for head and neck.
• Chemotherapy drugs.
• Dehydration.
• Mouth breathing.

Medications that cause dry mouth

Hundreds of allopathic medications can decrease our saliva production. Some medicines known to cause dry mouth include:

• Antianxiety drugs and antidepressants.
• Anticholinergics (drugs used to treat conditions like urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, etc).
• Antihistamines, decongestants, pain killers etc.
• Drugs for high blood pressure.
• Parkinson’s disease allopathic drugs.

Health problems that cause dry mouth

Certain medical conditions are more likely to cause dry mouth, including:

• Salivary stones (sialolithiasis),
• Salivary gland inflammation (sialadenitis),
• Diabetes,
• Alzheimer’s disease,
• Stroke.
• Heat stroke,
• HIV/AIDS
• Sjogren’s syndrome.

Complications of xerostomia or dry mouth

When someone have chronic dry mouth, he/she is more likely to develop:

• Cavities.
• Gum disease.
• Mouth sores.
• Cracked lips.
• Oral thrush.

During an examination by a dentist, doctor will look for signs of xerostomia. For instance, patient’s tongue and inner cheeks may look dry and textured rather than smooth, shiny and moist. To see how much saliva patient produce, you (dentist) may dab around patient’s salivary glands with a piece of gauze. Also look for signs of cavities and gum disease, which can both occur as a result of dry mouth.

There is no cure for xerostomia in allopathy. The main goal of dry mouth treatment in allopathy is to somehow (artificially) increase saliva production. This will, in turn, reduce the risk for tooth decay and gum disease.

Specific dry mouth treatment depends on the underlying cause. For instance, if you suspect a medication is causing dry mouth, try to adjust patient’s dosage, or switch the patient to another medication altogether. If you developed dry mouth as a symptom of a health condition, treating the underlying issue may help.

Other allopathic treatment options include:

• Prescription-strength dry mouth lozenges like Sorbitol.
• Saliva production stimulators like Cevimeline and Pilocarpine.
• Surgical salivary gland repair (less common).

Homeopathic treatment for xerostomia or dry moth

There is a miracle cure for dry mouth, and it’s causes. Specific dry mouth Homeopathic treatment depends on the underlying cause to increase and normalize production of saliva, in turn it will reduce the risk for tooth decay and mouth and throat disease.

For instance, if you (doctor) suspect an allopathic medication is causing dry mouth, advise to stop using that medicine, and switch the patient to Neutraceutical (Homeopathy) medication.

Some Homeopathic (Neutracutical) treatment options include:

Strychninum Purum

Spasmodic contraction of ocular muscles. Face pale, anxious, livid. Jaws stiffened, spasmodically closed. Throat dry, contracted, feeling of a lump. Deglutition impossible. Burning along and spasms of esophagus. Violent itching in pellet. Constant retching. Violent vomiting. Unusually good appetite. Spasm of muscles about larynx. Excessive dyspnea. Sharp, contractive pains in chest muscles.

Teeth clenched. Toothache, drawing; shooting. Tongue dry and papillae erect; dry, with white moisture on edges; gums and lips violet, hot and sore. Frothing at mouth. Violent itching in pellets. Taste bad; feverish; hot and bitter; dry. Mouth filled with frothy saliva. Articulation difficult. Speech: indistinct; lost. Choking sensation in throat. Dry; spasmodic; contracted, dry, hot, soreness, scraping. Severe dull pains in muscles and glands of neck and at back of ears. Sharp pains in neck glands, glands behind ears and back of head.

Cicuta Virosa

Pustules with thick, yellow scabs on face, head, corners of mouth and chin, with burning pain. Disposition to grind teeth. Throat and mouth dry, as if grown together. Esophageal spasms; cannot swallow. Thirst; burning pressure; hiccough.

Kalium Carbonicum

Nose stuffs up in warm room. Sore, scurfy nostrils; bloody nasal mucus. Crusty nasal openings. Nosebleed on washing. Ulcerated nostrils. Gums separate from teeth, pus oozes out. Pyorrhea. Aphthae. Tongue white. Much saliva constantly in mouth. Bad, slimy taste or mouth and throat dry, parched, rough. Swallowing difficult.

Kali Phosphoricum

Breath offensive, fetid. Tongue coated brownish. Excessively dry, in the morning. Toothache, with easily-bleeding gums. Gums spongy and receding. Throat gangrenous sore. Paralysis of the vocal cords. A nervous “gone” sensation at the pit of the stomach. Feels seasick without nausea.

Lachesis Mutus

Pale. Trifacial neuralgia, left side, heat running up into head. Tearing pain in jawbones. Purple, mottled, puffed; looks swollen, bloated, jaundiced, chlorotic. Gums swollen, spongy, bleed. Tongue swollen, burns, trembles, red, dry and cracked at tip, catches on teeth. Aphthous and denuded spots with burning and rawness. Nauseous taste. Teeth ache. Pain in facial bones.

Throat sore. Quinsy. Septic parotiditis, dry, intensely swollen, externally and internally. Diphtheria; membrane dusky, blackish; pain aggravated by hot drinks; chronic sore throat, with much hawking; mucus sticky, very painful. Tonsils purplish, purple, livid color.

Hamamelis Verginia

Bleeding from nose profuse; flow passive, non-coagulable, with tightness in bridge of nose. Bad odor from nose. Throat mucous membrane distended and bluish, varicose of throat. Tongue feels burnt. Thirst. Blisters on side. Hematemesis of black blood. Throbbing and pain in stomach.

Capsicum Annum

Hot feeling in faucets. Subacute inflammation of Eustachian tube with great pain, extending to the ears. Sore throat of smokers and drinkers. Smarting and constriction in throat. Burning constriction worse between acts of deglutition. Inflamed uvula and palate; swollen and relaxed. Herpes labialis. Stomatitis. Fetid odor from mouth. Burning in tip of tongue. Atonic dyspepsia. Vomiting, sinking at pit of stomach. Much thirst; but drinking causes shuddering.

Hydrastis Canadenses

Peppery taste in mouth. Tongue white, swollen, large, flabby, slimy; shows imprint of teeth; as if scalded; stomatitis. Ulceration of tongue, fissures toward the edges. Follicular pharyngitis. Raw, smarting, excoriating sensation. Goiter of puberty and pregnancy. Ozaena, with ulceration of septum. Tends to blow nose all the time.

Bryonia Alba

Lips parched, dry, cracked. Dryness of mouth, tongue, and throat, with excessive thirst. Tongue coated yellowish, dark brown, heavily white in gastric derangement. Bitter taste. Burning in lower lip in old smokers. Lip swollen, dry, black, and cracked. Throat dry, sticking on swallowing, scraped and constricted. Tough mucus in larynx and trachea.

Rhus Radicans

Toothache, tearing, shootings, jerking, digging, and tingling. Looseness of teeth. Teeth feel elongated. Looseness of lower incisors cannot bite with them. Fetid exhalation, from carious teeth. Burning pain in gums as from excoriation. Dryness of mouth with violent thirst. Offensive smell from mouth. Tongue: dry, red or brownish, and cracked; triangular red tip; yellowish white at root. Tongue white; often on one side. Sensation as if tongue covered with a skin. Sensation of dryness of throat. Sore throat, caused by internal swelling. Difficulty in deglutition and pain in swallowing food; difficult swallowing of liquids as from paralysis.

Rhus Toxicodendron

Dryness of mouth with violent thirst. Copious accumulation of saliva in mouth. A yellow, and sometimes also a sanguineous, saliva flows from mouth at night. While sitting asleep in afternoon saliva runs from mouth. In morning, mouth full of salty saliva. In morning mucus and tongue are salty. Copious accumulation of viscid mucus in mouth and throat, with frequent expectoration. Offensive smell from mouth. Tongue: dry, red or brownish, and cracked; triangular red tip; yellowish white at root. Tongue white; often on one side. Sensation as if tongue covered with a skin.

Sensation of dryness of throat. Contracted throat, difficulty in deglutition and pain in swallowing food and liquids. Copious accumulation of mucus in throat, frequent hawking. Pulsative pain in bottom of gullet.

Rhus Venenata

Drawing in teeth. Gums swollen, eruption on gums. Tongue coated white in middle, back and edges red; red on tip; red and cracked in middle, covered with little vesicles, vesicles on under side. Distress in root of tongue and faucets. Scalded feeling in tongue, causing dryness. Itching of tongue and roof of mouth. Breath hot, feverish, offensive. Mouth feels rough as if sand under mucous membrane when touched. Cannot speak distinctly, palate fallen and feels as if something in mouth impeding speech.

Lycopodium Clavatum

Teeth excessively painful to touch. Toothache, with swelling of cheeks. Dryness of mouth and tongue, without thirst. Tongue dry, black, cracked, swollen; oscillates. Mouth waters. Blisters on tongue. Bad odor from mouth. Dryness of throat, without thirst. Food and drink regurgitate through nose. Inflammation of throat, with stitches on swallowing; better, warm drinks. Swelling and suppuration of tonsils. Ulceration of tonsils, beginning on right side. Diphtheria: deposits spread from right to left; worse, cold drinks. Ulceration of vocal bands. Tubercular laryngitis, especially when ulceration commences.

Nux Vomica

Jaws, contracted. Small aphthous ulcers, with bloody saliva. First half of tongue clean; posterior covered with deep fur; white, yellow, cracked edges. Teeth ache; worse, cold things. Gums swollen, white, and bleeding. Throat rough, scraped feeling. Tickling after waking in morning. Sensation of roughness, tightness, and tension. Pharynx constricted. Uvula swollen. Stitches into ear.

Arsenicum Album

Unhealthy, easily-bleeding gums. Ulceration of mouth with dryness and burning heat. Epithelioma of lips. Tongue dry, clean, and red; stitching and burning pain in tongue, ulcerated with blue color. Bloody saliva. Neuralgia of teeth; feel long and very sore; worse after midnight; better warmth. Metallic taste. Gulping up of burning water. Throat swollen, edematous, constricted, burning, unable to swallow. Diphtheritic membrane looks dry and wrinkled.

Aconite Nepalis

Lancinating shocks or throbbing pains in the teeth and heat in the face. Toothache from cold, with throbbing and grinding. Sensation of dryness, or dryness in the mouth and on the tongue. Tongue white coated, or thick off-white. Itching, pricking and burning sensation in the tongue. Paralysis of the tongue. Numbness of tongue, about lips. Speech tremulous and stammering. Pain, as of excoriation, in the orifices of the salivary ducts, as if they were ulcerated. Trismus, with salivation. Uvula feels elongated and coming in contact with tongue.

Pain in the throat, with deep redness, difficult deglutition. Tingling in the esophagus. Acute inflammation of the throat (palate, tonsils and faucets) with high fever, dark redness, burning and stinging in the faucets. Burning and numbness in throat; throat almost insensible.

Phytolacca Decandra

Teething children with irresistible desire to bite the teeth together. Teeth clenched; lower lip drawn down; lips everted; jaws firmly set; chin drawn down on sternum. Tongue red tip feels rough and scalded; bleeding from mouth; blisters on side. Mapped, indented, fissured, with yellow patch down center. Much stringy saliva.

Throat dark red or bluish red. Pain at root of tongue. Soft palate and tonsils swollen. Pseudo-membranous exudation, grayish white; thick, tenacious yellowish mucus, difficult to dislodge. Tension and pressure in parotid gland. Ulcerated sore throat and diphtheria; throat feels very hot. Uvula large, dropsical. Quinsy; tonsils and faucets swollen, with burning pain; cannot swallow even water. Mumps. Follicular pharyngitis.

Mercurious

Tongue dry. Guernsey. Putrid smell from the mouth. Bluish color, excoriation, and inflammatory swelling of inside of mouth. Burning pain, vesicles, blisters, aphthae and ulcers in the mouth. Dryness in mouth and palate, or accumulation of tenacious mucus. Ulceration of orifice of salivary duct, and profuse discharge of excessively fetid saliva, which is sometimes bloody (or tenacious).

Tongue moist, coated with white and thick, or dry, brown, or blackish mucus. Hardness, inflammatory swelling (suppuration), and ulceration of tongue, with shooting pains. Longitudinal furrow on tongue with pricking pains. Needle pricks in tip of tongue. Tongue swollen, soft flabby, the edges become indented by the impression of teeth.

Salivary glands swollen and painful; saliva fetid or tastes coppery. Rigidity, insensibility, and immobility of tongue. Sensation in tongue as if burnt. Quivering of tongue. Rapid and stammering speech. Ranula. Ulceration and caries of palate.

Continuous painful dryness of throat, painful dryness of throat, which impedes speech. Smarting in throat, or sensation of heat. Elongation and swelling of uvula. Syphilitic ulcers in mouth and throat. Inflammatory swelling and redness of back parts of mouth and throat.

Pulsatilla Pratensis

Greasy taste. Dry mouth, without thirst; wants it washed frequently. Frequently licks the dry lips. Crack in lip. Yellow or white tongue, covered with a tenacious mucus. Toothache; relieved by holding cold water in mouth. Offensive odor from mouth. Food, especially bread, tastes bitter. Much sweet saliva. Alternations of taste, bitter, bilious, greasy, salty, foul. Loss of taste.

Zincum Metallicum

Teeth loose. Gums bleed. Gnashing of teeth. Bloody taste. Blisters on tongue. Difficult dentition; child weak; cold and restless feet. Throat dry; constant inclination to hawk up tenacious mucus. Rawness and dryness in throat and larynx. Pain in muscles of throat when swallowing. Hiccough, nausea, vomiting of bitter mucus.

Iodium

Gums loose and bleed easily. Foul ulcers and salivation. Profuse, fetid ptyalism. Tongue thickly coated. Offensive odor from mouth. Larynx feels constricted. Eustachian deafness. Thyroid enlarged. Goiter, with sensation of constriction. Swollen submaxillary glands. Uvula swollen. Ravenous hunger and much thirst. Anxious and worried if he does not eat.

Pressive pains in the molars. Teeth yellow, and covered with mucus, in the morning. Inflammatory swelling and bleeding of the gums, with swelling of the cheek; the gums are painful to the touch. Teeth loose. Softening of the gums. Aphthae, ulcers in the mouth. Pain and swelling of the glands of the interior of the mouth. Exhalation of putrid odor from the mouth. Salivation. Tongue loaded with a thick coating. Dryness of the tongue.

Sulpher

Herpes across the nose. Nose stuffed indoors. Imaginary foul smells. Alae red and scabby. Chronic dry catarrh; dry scabs and readily bleeding. Polypus and adenoids. Lips dry, bright red, burning. Bitter taste in morning. Jerks through teeth. Swelling of gums; throbbing pain. Tongue white, with red tip and borders. Throat – burning, redness and dryness. Ball seems to rise and close pharynx.

Phosphorus

Pale, sickly complexion; blue rings under eyes. Hippocratic countenance. Tearing pain in facial bones; circumscribed redness in one or both cheeks. Swelling and necrosis of lower jaw. Mouth swelled, easily bleeding gums, ulcerated. Tongue dry, smooth, red or white, not thickly coated. Nursing sore mouth. Burning, stricture in esophagus. Dryness in pharynx and faucets. Thirst for very cold water.

Hunger soon after eating. Sour taste and sour eructation after every meal. Belching large quantities of wind, after eating. Throws up ingesta by the mouthfuls. Vomiting: water is thrown up as soon as it gets warm in the stomach.

China Officinalis

Sallow complexion. Face bloated, red. Toothache; better pressing teeth firmly together, and by warmth. Tongue coated thick, dirty; tip burns, succeeded by ptyalism. Bitter taste. Food tastes too salty. Stomach tender, cold. Vomiting of undigested food. Slow digestion. Ill effects of tea. Hungry without appetite.

Veratrum Album

Features sunken. Tearing in cheeks, temples, and eyes. Face very pale, blue, collapsed, cold. Tongue pale, cold; cool sensation. Mouth dries in center not relieved by water. Salty saliva. Toothache, teeth feel heavy. Voracious appetite. Thirst for cold water but is vomited as soon as swallowed. Averse to warm food. Hiccough. Gastric irritability with chronic vomiting.

Carbo Vegitablis

Tongue coated white or yellow brown, covered with aphthae. Teeth very sensitive where chewing; gums retracted and bleed easily. Gums bleeding. Pyorrhea.