Research Paper On Dry Mouth

In 2003, my mother was diagnosed with inoperable cervical cancer and had to complete chemotherapy and radiation treatments to eliminate the disease. She is a survivor because of her strong will but has suffered from multiple, long-lasting side effects from the treatment. The medications did the job of ridding her body of cancer but caused issues to other organs in her body. These issues require her to take multiple medications that now give her dry mouth. My mother has tried multiple over the counter remedies for dry mouth, but nothing seems to help. She wants to know if the xerostomia, dry mouth, is causing the increased number of cavities that are ruining her smile. I am at the point in my life that I have more resources to help her and as a dental hygienist I hope to provide her the help she needs to improve her smile by solving her problem with

It makes me glad to know that people enjoy the food they're eating. However, I would rather not hear them eat that food or see it. My most intense pet peeve is speaking or opening one's mouth while it is filled with food. From a young age, I've been taught that chewing food with a closed mouth is proper etiquette. Apparently, not all people were raised to mind their manners when they eat. Open-mouth chewing is a form of bad manners, annoys those nearby who are trying to eat in peace, and is simply repulsive.

Pain- The person could be in pain and find eating to diffcult or uncomfortable. Ask them if their mouth is sore or their could have a problem with their dentures or their teeth. Having regular check ups or if unable to go to the dentsit see if you can have a dentist call to their home. Its important that a person has oral hygiene and mouth checks.

Your dentist needs to know about any medications that you are taking. This includes inhalers. Certain medications can cause dry mouth. Dry mouth is a condition that can increase the risk of cavities and bad breath. The more medications you take, the more likely you are to develop dry mouth.

One of the most common oral health ailments in seniors is dry mouth. The problem is so widespread that many seniors

Dental insurance coverage is a key determinant on whether to seek care or not. The exclusion of our mouths from the rest of our body parts and not receiving the care it requires is quite impossible to rationalize (McClymont, 2015). Dental care is essential in the maintenance of good oral health and in the identification of symptoms of systemic conditions that most likely are manifested through the mouth. As striking and conspicuous as it may sound, Canada has indeed a type of health care system wherein mouth is excepted as a part of the body. As a matter of fact, our lips, tongues, and throats are securely covered while our teeth and gums are left out from the privilege. The most common infectious disease in the world are dental diseases, and the fact that many health issues can be first diagnosed through the oral cavity validates its importance and co-relevance to the rest of our body. Studies have linked poor oral health such as severity of gum infection to AIDS, first stages of osteoporosis, reveal nutritional deficiencies, immune disorders, cancer, and so on and so forth. Xerostomia or dry mouth for an instance is often a symptom of undetected diabetes. Diabetic patients have higher risks of gum infection caused by increased blood sugar, thickening of blood vessels resulting to hindered healing process that is why they are obligated to undergo pre-medication as a form

Also commonly referred to as Gingivitis, gum disease is a contagious bacterial infection that not only affects your mouth ecology, but that can have pronounced effects on your overall health. Locally, it can be responsible for eroding and destroying your gums, and in more advanced stages it can lead to tooth loss and even jawbone erosion. Still, left untreated, the inflammation from the bacterial infection can even lead to a variety of ailments ranging from increased allergies to cancer.

With the new school year starting also comes the beginning of after-school sports. If your child has just begun playing on a school team, then he or she is in for a lot of great fun and exercise, but also the possibility of injury. Mouth guards protect your child's teeth from injury, and here are some mouth-guard guidelines to follow to minimize your child's risk of dental injury when engaging in his or her new sport.

It is important to begin tackling your dry mouth problem as soon as it occurs, as having less saliva in your mouth cannot only lead to you getting more cavities and make the two following more severe oral problems more likely to occur.

People develop dry mouth problems for several reasons. One of the most common is dry mouth as a side effect of medication. Numerous drugs deplete saliva production. A person may develop this problem if he or she takes:

Gum disease is caused by the buildup of tartar under the gums. This usually happens because you don't brush your teeth often enough. Even brushing daily may not be enough if you have a medical condition, such as diabetes, that makes you more prone to infections. Your dentist will probably recommend you increase brushing frequency to remove plaque before it can turn into tartar. However, once tartar has already formed, the only way to get rid of it is to have it scraped off by a hygienist. Until your gum disease is under control, your dentist may want you to undergo frequent dental cleanings to keep the tartar off your teeth so your gums can heal.

She is currently not on any medication and has great oral hygiene habits; visiting the dentist regularly, brushes twice a day, flosses daily, and has no current missing teeth. For her treatment plan, before radiation therapy. I would give her a chart of what foods to eat and stay away from for dry mouth. High protein foods that will help with dry mouth include; red meats, fish, and chicken. Drink plenty of water and milk shakes while avoiding; acidic drinks, alcohol, and caffeine. While staying away from spicy and salty foods such as; crackers, cookies, ketchup, and hot sauces. Also, to chew sugar free gum to stimulate the salivary glands (Grignetti Dominique, 2014). If her conditions continue the Dr. could prescribe medication. Prescribed mouth rinses can help stimulate saliva flow, such as Hyetellose, Hyprolose, or Carmellose. Also, medication can be prescribed to stimulate the salivary glands to produce artificial saliva such as, Salagen or Evoxa (American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2012). To avoid future dental problems, I would recommend regular check-ups every three months. I would recommend my patient to soak her soft-bristle toothbrush in warm water and brush her teeth after every meal. I would stress that she needs to sip water often throughout the day. Rinsing her mouth after every meal and avoiding mouth washes that contain alcohol are very important. I would also recommend purchasing a cool mist humidifier to use at night to moister, reducing dry air (OraCoatDry,

Dry mouth has a variety of causes. Some of them are temporary, such as a side effect of a medication, and others are permanent, such as damaged salivary glands from radiation therapy. The first step in reversing your dry mouth is to uncover the cause. For instance, your doctor might change your prescription medication to give you relief.

Other factors that play a role in poor oral care is being disabled and homebound because this also leads to not seeking any oral care. There is Medicaid for individuals 65 and above to get insurance for dental care, however the reimbursements for care are very low and does not cover the entire cost of the treatment. According to the Division of Oral health (2013), “About 25 percent of adults 60 years old and older no longer have any natural teeth.’’ The elderly being toothless indicates a problem with nutrition because being toothless affects mechanical digestion of food. Toothlessness causes the elderly to prefer soft chewable foods and might not prefer to eat essential foods such as fruits, lean meats, poultry, fish, and legumes. Additionally, according to the Division of Oral health (2013), “Oral and pharyngeal cancers, which are diagnosed in some 31,000 Americans each year, result in about 7,400 deaths each year.” The elderly make up the majority of these diagnosed cancers, and these cases are related to smoking and the use of alcohol. The prognosis for this type of cancer is low, with a five-year survival rate for whites being about 56% and African americans being only about 34%. In addition, many older Americans are have polypharmacy therapy, and medication can cause dry mouth. “The reduction of the flow

A symptom is the feeling described by the patient. A symptom could include painful gums. Signs are what everyone can see including the nurses and the doctors. A sign could include a swelling. However, at mild cases, there might be no identifiable signs or symptoms. Gingivitis has several signs and symptoms that include: