No Ju-lying Around With Drying Mouth This Summer!
How’s July treating you? Hot yet? What are your most natural and effective ways to stay cool in these temperatures that could quite possibly fry and eggs on the sidewalks? Have you tried wearing loose cotton garments? Cotton’s natural fibers will enable air to circulate around your body to cool you off. Wearing light colors reflects heat away from your body. Peppermint essential oil has cooling benefits. Mix some peppermint essential oil with water and put it in a spray bottle. Spray it directly on your skin and feel the coolness right away. Be sure you keep the oil away from your eyes though!
How about your mouth? How’s it feeling this summer? Has it seen more “fluid” times? You could potentially be suffering from something called dry mouth, or you could just need to drink more water on these hot July days. There are ways to determine if you have dry mouth, or if you’re just extra thirsty.
Signs that you may have dry mouth
- If your tongue feels like sandpaper.
- You can’t seem to ever produce enough saliva.
- You may be experiencing difficulty swallowing.
- Ongoing bad breath that is noticed by you and all those around you.
- Increased number of cavities discovered at your dental checkup.
- Cracked lips that are painful.
- Difficulty talking, especially if you enjoy talking a lot.
- An altered sense of taste.
- Oral infections begin appearing.
- A constant desire to sip water.
If you’re experiencing any of the above symptoms there are natural remedies to help produce more saliva to help your dry mouth.
- Get a pinch of cayenne pepper and rub it on your tongue. Your body will naturally stimulate more saliva because it will attempt to soothe the burning sensation.
- Lemon’s citric acid can stimulate your body’s production of saliva. Sugar free lemon drops, add some lemon essential oil to your water or, enjoy a cup of natural lemon tea!
- On these hot summer days, you’ll be happy to know a natural remedy for dry mouth is drinking cold water! The water will also lubricate your throat, gums and lips.
- Rub grape seed oil on your gums or your tongue. You will instantly feel its natural moisturizing properties working.
- Replace mouth breathing with nose breathing, if you can. Your mouth breathing is like turning a fan on in your mouth and drying it out with each and every breath.
- Reduce your caffeine consumption. A good amount of caffeine to drink in a day is one cup of whatever caffeine drink you prefer.
- Limit drinking too much alcohol. If you’ve ever had an evening of heavy alcohol consumption you usually wake up very thirsty. Alcohol dehydrates your body faster than almost every other drink.
- Stop smoking! Tobacco dries the mouth. Not only will your dry mouth thank you for this habit change, but also your entire body will be grateful for a tobacco-free life!
- Chewing sugar-free gum will stimulate your saliva in your mouth and give you relief from your dry mouth.
- Try using a humidifier in your bedroom. Chances are that you’re a natural mouth breather. Intentionally breathing through your nose during the day is easy. However, your body will revert to its natural inclination in your state of sleeping. A humidifier will help place moisture in the air that you are breathing in.
Dry mouth can have a negative effect on your oral health. When your mouth is not moist enough, food and bacteria can stick to your teeth. This buildup can cause plaque to grow and lead to many other dental problems. It can also have a negative impact on your digestion. When chewing foods, your saliva helps break down your foods. Foods that are improperly and insufficiently swallowed can cause improper and even painful digestion.
You may be experiencing dry mouth if your have cancer, diabetes or struggle with depression. Often medications are the cause for your dry mouth. These medical conditions and medications have the potential to throw off the balance of proteins and enzymes that are essential for keeping your mouth lubricated and healthy.
At Les Belles NYC, we don’t want any of our patients suffering from anything that causes them discomfort and can lead to other more serious dental issues. Call our office to discover our natural alternatives for your dental needs. You’ll discover the difference our office makes to ensure your visit is safe, effective and filled with peace. Call us today!
