Remedies To Treat Dry Mouth Among Seniors

Dry mouth also known as cottonmouth can have serious consequences on seniors’ overall health and well-being. For instance, dry mouth among seniors can lead to gum disease, tooth decay, tooth decay and infections. 

Fortunately, there are some ways that you can easily target dry mouth among seniors. 

Ways To Treat Dry Mouth In Seniors 

Talk to a senior doctor 

The first thing you should do upon noticing the dry mouth among seniors is to talk to a senior doctor. Make sure to ask the senior doctor regarding the need to lower the dose or get a different drug to eliminate the dry mouth. 

Avoid over-the-counter medications 

Ask the seniors to avoid over-the-counter medications as these tend to dry out the mucus secretions. Instead of this, you can ask the seniors to use nasal sprays as these are far better than these medications. 

Ask seniors to rinse and brush 

Seniors having the problem of dry mouth should consider rinsing and brushing their teeth after every meal. This is because dry mouths tend to be acidic and also promote bacterial growth. Consequently, seniors need to brush after every meal. Make sure seniors brush with toothpaste having baking soda or other ingredients to make the mouth’s PH basic. 

Avoid certain foods 

The seniors should avoid extra spicy, salty, or acidic foods as these tend to dry the mouth and might cause gastric disturbances. 

Stop smoking 

Encourage the seniors to stop smoking tobacco or marijuana as it decreases saliva production and irritates mucus membranes. 

Increase fluid intake

As seniors age, their water intake tends to decrease and this can lead to dry mouth among seniors. So, make sure to increase the fluid intake of seniors by always keeping a glass of water near them. But avoid giving caffeine or alcohol to seniors as these are dehydrating. The physicians recommend giving ginger tea to seniors to boost saliva production. 

Keep a spray bottle nearby

Always keep a spray bottle handy to spray seniors’ mouths with water whenever it gets dry to keep them moist. As it only adds a little moisture to the dry mouth of seniors, it does not increase seniors’ trips to the bathroom. 

Give seniors a gum 

You can also give sugarless gum or candy to seniors to prevent tooth decay. Besides this, you can give mints or lozenges to relieve dry mouth.