How Is Xerostomia Treated ?

Posted on Fri, 12 Aug 2011

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : My 10 year old daughter says she is having difficulty swallowing saliva and feel dryness in her mouth, specially her tonge and numbness. she is very scare and I'm worry because she does have some history of anxiety. What this can be?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (5 hours later)

Hello
Thanks for writing to us.
Dry mouth and tongue, medically referred to as xerostomia, is a condition in which the production of saliva is inhibited, resulting in dryness and discomfort. It can be due to infection of salivary glands or their decreased secretion due to fibrosis.
Other possible causes include anxiety, dehydration due to poor fluid intake, breathing through the mouth excessively, certain medications, damage to the salivary glands due to trauma, radiation therapy, etc.
Some remedies to minimize your daughter's discomfort includes-
1.Sucking on sugar-free candy or chewing sugar-free gum
2.Ask her to drink plenty of water to help keep her mouth moist.
3. Protecting her teeth by brushing with a fluoride toothpaste, using a fluoride rinse, and visiting your dentist regularly
4. Ask her to breathe through her nose, not her mouth, as much as possible
5. Using a room vaporizer to add moisture to the bedroom air
6. Using an over-the-counter artificial saliva substitute.
In addition to these, you need to find the cause after examination by your physician and get the cause treated.
Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.

Wishing your daughter a good health.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T