Dry Mouth

Xerostomia is the clinical term for Dry Mouth.

Dry mouth is not often a sign of serious disease. It does however cause discomfort. There are things you can do to help ease it yourself. See a dentist if these don’t work or you also have other symptoms.

The main causes of a dry mouth are dehydration – for example, from not drinking enough, sweating a lot or being ill. Medicines may also cause a dry mouth. Please check the leaflet for your medicine to see if dry mouth is a side effect.
Breathing through your mouth at night can happen if you have a blocked nose or you sleep with your mouth open.
Anxiety is also a root cause as are some cancer treatments (radiotherapy or chemotherapy). Sometimes a dry mouth that doesn’t go away may be caused by a condition like diabetes.