Treatment for Dry Mouth

A Temporary or Chronic Problem with Many Causes

Dry mouth disorder is a dry, uncomfortable feeling in your mouth that results from a decrease in the amount of your saliva. This condition can be temporary or a chronic problem.

Treatment depends on the cause. Many prescription medications and uncontrolled diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson’s disease can result in dry mouth.The first effort should be to change medications or treat the underlying disorder. it is important that you tell your doctor or dentist about all the medications you are taking, as well as any other treatments you receive, because they could contribute to dry mouth or affect your oral health in other ways. It changing medications is not possible, then treatment usually focuses on stimulating the salivary glands.

MYERS Medical Compounding Offers Alternatives

There are multiple over-the-counter salivary stimulants and saliva substitutes. When these, and the oral prescription products also available, are inappropriate or ineffective, we compound special oral troches (lozenges) designed to increase salivation. These products are especially useful for hospice and oncology patients.

The ingredients we most commonly use are:

• Pilocarpine is a "cholinergic" drug. It mimics the effects of the chemical, acetylcholine which is produced by nerve cells. Acetylcholine serves as a messenger between nerve cells and between nerve cells and the organs they control. It causes the salivary glands to make saliva Pilocarpine is available commercially only as an oral tablet
• Electrolyte combinations -- The main electrolytes in the blood are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, phosphate, and carbonate. Most commonly, problems occur when the level of sodium, potassium, or calcium is abnormal.