• 9/1/2006
  • Dallas/Fort Worth
  • staff
  • Star-Telegram.com (www.dfw.com)

Water’s good. Sugar-free gum helps. But Listerine may dry out your mouth.

Saliva is a health drink for your teeth and mouth. The three pints produced by the salivary glands each day contain antibacterial substances that protect teeth from cavities. Like all body fluids, saliva is a near cousin to blood, so it contains calcium and phosphorus that teeth absorb. It also functions as an overall lubricant for the mouth, preventing food from sticking to your teeth and gums. By neutralizing gastric acid and keeping the flow of food and drink through the mouth and esophagus on the right course, saliva may help check gastro-esophageal reflux, a leading of cause of heartburn.

A serious lack of saliva — the medical term is xerostomia (pronounced zer-o-STO’-me-ah) — may develop for several reasons. It’s a side effect of many medications. It may result from autoimmune diseases such as lupus and Sjögren’s syndrome. Head and neck cancer patients struggle with dry mouth after receiving radiation treatments.

Dry mouth is another reason you should see a dentist regularly. During a routine exam, dentists are supposed to look for little pools of saliva in the bottom of the mouth. The inside of your salivary glands are there, so dryness there is a bad sign.

The treatment depends on the cause and its severity. Doctors and dentists no longer believe that old age by itself causes clinically significant dry mouth. But salivary glands do tend to become less productive with age, so keeping your mouth moist becomes an important part of oral hygiene after age 50 or so.

Seven tips for dealing with dry mouth

1. Chew sugar-free gum. Chewing stimulates the salivary glands to produce saliva — presuming, of course, that there is still some working salivary gland tissue to stimulate. The gum should be sugar-free because, just as you’ve been told, sugar promotes cavities.

2. Eat fibrous foods. Here’s another reason for eating an apple a day: Crunchy, fibrous fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots and celery are mildly abrasive, so they sweep bacteria and plaque off teeth.

3. Watch the alcohol. Moderate amounts of alcohol may benefit the heart, but alcohol does tend to dry out the mouth.

4. Wet your whistle. Water lacks many of saliva’s healthful properties, but regular swigging will keep your mouth nice and moist. Unlike tap water, most bottled water doesn’t contain fluoride, so if you drink bottled water, you may need to be especially conscientious about using a fluoride toothpaste, dry mouth or not. Serious cases of dry mouth can benefit from saliva substitutes, which include glycerin and water mixes (Moi-Stir), carboxymethyl cellulose gels (Salivart) and mucopoly-saccharide ointments (Mouth Kote).

5. Floss and use mouthwash. Flossing and brushing become even more important if your mouth is dry because saliva protects against tooth decay. Alcohol-based mouthwashes such as Listerine are double-edged swords: They kill bacteria but also dry out the mouth. Nonalcoholic mouthwashes such as ACT and Biotene or low-alcohol ones such as Plax are better choices.

6. Take medications to stimulate the salivary glands. Ordinarily, these are reserved for more serious cases of dry mouth. Pilocarpine (Salagen) is used more often, but cevimeline (Evoxac) seems to have fewer side effects.

7. Get special treatments for your teeth and gums. Sometimes there’s no effective way to stimulate or replace saliva. In that case, protecting teeth and gums against the consequences of dry mouth becomes a priority. Teeth can be coated with protective substances. Some dentists fill cavities with materials that contain fluoride, which is then gradually released and absorbed by the tooth. Regular cleanings to remove plaque are especially important if your mouth lacks saliva.