A dry mouth can be caused by the use of medication, medical treatment, or by diseases like Sjögren’s syndrome. It often causes major discomfort when you have to live with it on a daily basis and some dry mouth remedies are therefore more than welcome!
This lack of saliva is not “just” causing discomfort, a dry mouth is also bad for your teeth. Saliva has anti-microbial enzymes that protect your mouth and teeth from bacteria and other micro-organisms. When an insufficient amount of saliva is produced, your mouth is vulnerable to these micro-organisms which cause tooth decay and bad breath.
We have previously written on the common causes of a dry mouth, and how you can stimulate your saliva production with certain foods and special chewing gum for dry mouth.
If this does not work (sufficiently), you can additionally resort to using mouthwashes, saliva substitutes, moisturizing gels and/or a moisturizing spray. These products have greatly improved over the last years and have been specifically developed to relieve a dry mouth.
The manufacturers of dry mouth products use different soothing ingredients, so it might be useful to test different types, as one might work better (or taste better!) than others.
We have conducted some research on consumer/user and manufacturer’s forums to find which products are worth trying. Here’s our list of dry mouth remedies.
Dry Mouth Remedies
Mouthwashes
Mouthwashes can aid in your overall oral hygiene and reduce bacterial growth that can cause tooth decay. Mouthwashes for a dry mouth are kind of similar to what is used regularly, as described in our article on mouthwashes, with some important differences.
Mouthwashes for a dry mouth never contain alcohol. Alcohol actually causes a dry mouth, so alcohol-containing mouthwashes should be avoided by individuals that suffer from dry mouth, as they only cause more problems! You could just use alcohol-free mouthwashes, but there are some special dry mouth mouthwashes.
Dry Mouth Mouthwashes
The most important difference with regular alcohol-free mouthwashes is that special ingredients are added which form a “moisturizing” layer on the inside of the mouth.
You can compare it to putting some crème on your skin when having a dry skin, which also traps the moisture and soothes your skin. The same mechanism holds true for these mouthwashes. This leads to relief for a longer period of time. Here are mouthwashes for dry mouth that we found to be used often and importantly found to be working:
1. Biotène Dry Mouth Mouthwash
One of the best-known brands of dry mouth products is Biotène and we found many good reports on Biotène Dry Mouth Mouthwash. It is specifically designed for minimizing dry mouth and can be used in combination with Biotène Dry Mouth Toothpaste. The reviews on Amazon are good, as well as the reactions on multiple forums. From the 3 listed here, Biotène is the more expensive one, although some vendors use a price almost similar to the numbers 2 and 3 of this list.
2. ACT Dry Mouth Mouthwash
Another well-known brand is ACT, which also produces specific dry mouth products, including ACT Dry Mouth Mouthwash. Next to the consumer reports we found, also the Amazon reviews for different vendors look promising.
3. Oasis Moisturizing Mouthwash
Oasis also has a mouthwash specifically designed for relieving dry mouth symptoms: Oasis Moisturizing Mouthwash. Similar to the other mouthwashes listed here, both the user an Amazon reviews were good.
4. Other Brands
There are other brands that produce mouthwashes for dry mouth, but for which we could not find a lot of user experiences. It is worth testing them if you find them. Please leave a comment below, or send us an email if you would like to share your experience!
Moisturizing Gels
Moisturizing gels are thicker than the saliva substitutes and can therefore provide a longer term as well as instant relief.
1. Biotène Oral Balance Gel
There are multiple users describing that Biotène Oral Balance Gel helps to relieve their dry mouth. Others report that it helps to some extent and use additional products such as Xylimelts.
2. CariFree CTx3 Gel
Although there are not many reports on the CariFree CTx3 Gel, the reviews on Amazon and the reports we found were promising.
Consumer Reports: 1.
Moisturizing Sprays
Moisturizing sprays can be effective for short and direct relief, and often have a freshening effect as well. Sprays are moreover very practical since they are easily carried around in a purse or pocket, and are therefore one of the more convenient dry mouth remedies while you’re on the road.
1. Oasis Moisturizing Mouth Spray
Oasis Moisturizing Mouth Spray is reviewed positively by a number of reports as well as on Amazon.
2. Biotène Mouth Spray
Biotène Mouth Spray is another product from Biotène that is specifically designed to relieve the symptoms of a dry mouth. It is reviewed mostly positive by users and on Amazon, although some users don’t like the taste.
3. Other brands
Other brands for which we could not find good user reports, but that do score well on Amazon are Xlear Spry Rain Oral Mist and Mouth Kote Dry Mouth Spray.
Gums & Lozenges
Next to the products listed here, we have previously looked at useful chewing gum and lozenges for a dry mouth. Make sure to read that article for more information.
Oral Moisturizers, Artificial saliva or Saliva Substitutes
Oral moisturizers, artificial saliva or saliva substitutes are solutions that mimic our saliva, as the name suggests. It is a challenge to mimic our saliva since it contains a lot of buffering and anti-microbial proteins and enzymes. So it is hard to make an exact copy of it. Since oral moisturizers are swallowed they lead to temporary, but often much wanted relief.
These are specialized and expensive products, and we therefore feel it is best to consult your dentist or physician on whether you should use it and which one to use.
Conclusion
When you suffer from (severe) dry mouth it can be a big relief to have a product that makes your life more comfortable. We have searched forums for products that others have used and continue to use.
This does not mean that the product will work for you or that other products are not working, and it will be especially useful to test combinations of them.
Finally, the use of some of these products can become costly when used regularly. Ask your physician whether it can be prescribed and therefore declared by your insurance company.
Do you have some tips on dry mouth remedies yourself? Leave a comment below or send us an email.