Nighttime Dry Mouth
I'm a 79-year-old female with idiopathic dry mouth that has become progressively worse in the past two years. I go to bed at 11pm and will wake up every hour with dry mouth. When I wake up, I'll use either Act gum, sprays, water, or lozenges. By 5am, my mouth is so dry I have to get up and eat breakfast.
Tests for autoimmune diseases have been negative. Taking Pilocarpine gave me a headache.
Had anyone had success with products that work during the night?
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@kacey1 Thank you so much for taking the time to educate me about dry mouth products. I will try to find the Oasis spray and Act Gum this weekend. Does your throat actually become extremely raw and dry when it wakes you up? Mine scares me as I am unable to swallow.
Chris
Has the Rx med for Sjogren's helped any?
Sometimes toothpaste can aggravate dry mouth, Coconut oil is a good option to clean your teeth, And practice (oil pulling) ( google will explain more ) which is basically squishing the oil in your mouth for at least a few minutes ( or while you have a shower ) trying to get it between your teeth… After cleaning and slooshing your mouth/teeth with the oil spit it out. Then put a little bit more coconut oil in your mouth just before getting into bed, Add a little through the night…
Increase hydration during the day with boiled , warm water 🙌
My throat does occasionally become very dry. Seems as if that happens when I eat something acidic, like red sauces. I've developed a sensitivity to some foods with red sauces, orange, some chocolate, and peppermint to name a few. What's strange, I can tolerate pizza one time but if I eat leftovers the next day, it'll make my mouth drier or my throat very dry. Thinking it's a spice in the sauce. When my throat becomes very, very dry, the only relief for me is drinking milk with vanilla ice cream. I know sugar is not the best solution but it gives me instant relief. When my mouth gets very dry, sprays or water does not help.
Hope this helps. I know how it is!!
For several months now, I've had a dry mouth reaction to Sensodyne Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste. I tried Colgate and Toms toothpaste but it really didn't matter. So, I use the Sensodyne in the morning and brush with Toms in the evening two hours before I go to bed.
I will be trying coconut oil pulling, it seems to have many benefits.
Xylimelts are great. It suggests using two on the bottle, but I only use one and maybe a second if I wake in the middle of the night. I have Sjogren's and these have helped my morning dry mouth so much. My husband uses a CPAP and has found them to be helpful also.
My only caution is that xylitol is very toxic to dogs in any amount. The Xylimelt adheres to your cheek and I have never lost one during the night so that is reassuring. I keep the bottle well out of reach of my counter surfing standard poodle.
I subscribe to the Sjogren's foundation news magazine. I have found that to provide a wealth of information in every issue. About three issues back they had an article on helpful toothpastes and mouth wash.
in reply to @mshutch Are you concerned about the artificial sweetener in the lozenges? I think there is an article about this sweetener on the Mayo site. I stay away from artificial sweeteners, but that's just my thing because they cause problems. I choose to stick with as many "natural" products like the coconut oil for this reason, and it really does work. The oil, I am told by my dentist, also protects your teeth. "I'm just saying." But I am glad the lozenges work for you. I need so much dental work as a result of dry mouth, and having dental phobia does not make getting the work done any easier.
Yes, it does help a little. I use a drug called Evoxac. It’s not great but when I stop taking it my Sjogrens gets worse.