How to cope with dry mouth?

[Joanne_Joyce]

I wonder if other people have the same problem and if so how do you cope with it? . I can only eat soft and juicy food. For example, I can only eat bread if I soak it first in my tea. I think my dry mouth is a side effect of Artane.

[Kat00]

I asked a dental assistant friend of mine this question. She told me that chewing gum can help, and there is a product you can get from your dentist called GC Dry Mouth gel ( the company that makes it is GC Dental Products Corporation)..this is a flavored gel that provides comfort to dry mouth sufferers. Hope this helps.

[shasha]

i too chew gum - much to my husbands distaste !!

[babyshoes]

Yes, I was also on Artane...and the side effects is 'dry mouth' the worst one and I chew chewing gum. If I don't, then my mouth is so dry that I start coughing and even choke a little. So, hope this helps you! Have a good day!

[CheriH]

I take 5 mg of Salagen (Pilocarpine) 4 times daily. It is a prescription drug used to treat dry mouth, and it helps me considerably. I have to warn you that there is an advisary on letting your dr. know if you have Parkinson's; but everything you take has a side effect. I'm doing okay with it. Dry mouth also increases a person's risk of gingivitis (gum disease), tooth decay, and mouth infections, such as thrush. So it can be very serious.

In the states we have a product that you can buy off the shelf called "Biotene." I tried the gum and the liquid oral rinse; but couldn't handle it. The gum lost it's flavor and became rubbery quickly; and the rinse felt like I had lotion in my mouth....yuk!

I chew Trident sugarless gum along with taking the Salagen. I buy so much Trident gum that I should own stock in the company! My husband laughs and says it an emergency situation when I'm down to one pack of gum. I know this sounds crazy; but I even go to sleep with gum in my mouth. I'm a "gum alholic." Whatever works...right?

Hope this helps.

Cheri

[Boots1]

There are also mouth washes made for dry mouth. I have tried the Act brand and it works very good.

[Kaylee]

biotene.com/Default.aspx?go...

Biotene, you can get it at WalMart, they have toothpaste, mouthwash, chewing gum, etc.

On their website is a $1.00 coupon

[CJBG]

I’m a hygienist with PD and I like using the Spry oral mist spray called RAIN and the mouthwash it’s an all-natural moisturizing with Xylitol; The GC product mentioned is very good; since dry mouth increases our chances for decay I have custom made fluoride trays; I place the fluoride in the trays and leave in for 5 minutes for about 3 times a week; check health food store for the Spry or order online at xlear.com

[Joyable]

I can't chew gum due to TMJ but I find that anything in my mouth produces saliva. So I use hard candy and breath mints. I, also, have trouble swallowing bread unless it's moistened and eat mostly soft foods.

[Joyable]

Also have a dry cough, worst at night, so I use cough drops.

[Joanne_Joyce]

Many thanks to everyone who gave me these very helpful suggestions.

[park_bear in reply to Joanne_Joyce]

A few additional notes on dry mouth:

Isomalt is type of sugar that is not metabolized and does not cause cavities that can be obtained as little lozenges. I alternate between those and hall's sugar-free lozenges as mouth moisturizers.

Cevimeline is a prescription drug that promotes saliva production and is less prone to side effects than pilocarpine. It also costs more.

I had been suffering tooth decay until I came up with my own homebrew toothpaste consisting of N-acetylcysteine neutralized with 25% by weight of calcium hydroxide, dissolved and preserved in 40% ethanol, also known as vodka. This breaks up bacterial biofilms and got rid of my tooth decay problem.