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Dry Mouth and Your Teeth
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Dry
Mouth and Your Teeth
If I was a dentist, I might
seriously consider moving my practice to Colorado, or perhaps
Washington. Can you guess why?
If
your guess had to do with those states' shift in marijuana laws, you
would be correct. Not, however, due to any new medical
discoveries whereby marijuana plays a role in dental treatment -- just
the opposite, in fact.
What I am getting at is one of the effects marijuana has on the user, which would be Xerostomia. Xerostomia is what the infamous 'cotton mouth' is more commonly referred to among the profession. ![]() One might say, "C'mon! It's no big deal, just a small annoyance..." as one sucks on a sugar-laden soda to quench the thirst. Certainly good for the dentist! Here's the big deal: Your natural saliva is 99.5% water. The other .5% includes enzymes which have a variety of duties. A pretty important bodily function is digestion, and digestion begins in the mouth. Some of these enzymes break down larger food molecules into smaller ones so that they are easier to deal with as they continue through the digestive process, including the conversion of starches into sugars. Other enzymes actually have antimicrobial properties, protecting the teeth and gums from pathogens living off the foods trapped in the crevices of the teeth, between the teeth underneath the gum line. Some will actually do their jobs further on, assisting throughout the digestive track. ![]() As you can see, your saliva plays a pretty important role in the day-to-day function of the body as a whole, and simply re-moisturizing with water may be helpful to some degree, but not quite the total remedy to dry mouth. Now before we a ![]() Saving your teeth and gums from an out-of-control decay process would be my intention in focusing on this information. Of course, the best way to counter dry mouth is to remove the cause, where possible. Where that isn't possible, certainly keeping the mouth moist with water is very helpful and using an OTC product such as Biotene Oral Rinse As for myself, it is public speaking which instantly creates a desert oral environment, and thoughts of those huge deli dill pickles or sauerkraut won't even do the trick. If I take a sip of water for relief, it seems to evaporate before it even hits the back of my throat. Since everything has a purpose, that may be nature's way of telling me to shut up. Tom |