Dry mouth

A dry mouth is rarely a sign of anything serious. There are things you can do to help ease it yourself. See a GP if these do not work or you also have other symptoms.

Causes of a dry mouth

The main causes of a dry mouth are:

• dehydration – for example, from not drinking enough, sweating a lot or being ill
• medicines – check the leaflet that comes with your medicine to see if dry mouth is a side effect
• breathing through your mouth at night – this can happen if you have a blocked nose or you sleep with your mouth open
• anxiety
• cancer treatment (radiotherapy or chemotherapy)
• oral thrush (mouth thrush)

Sometimes a dry mouth that does not go away may be caused by a condition like diabetes or Sjögren's syndrome.

How to help ease a dry mouth yourself

Do

• drink plenty of cold water – take regular sips during the day and keep some water by your bed at night

• suck on ice cubes or ice lollies

• sip on cold unsweetened drinks

• chew sugar-free gum or suck on sugar-free sweets

• use lip balm if your lips are also dry

• brush your teeth twice a day and use alcohol-free mouthwash – you're more likely to get tooth decay if you have a dry mouth

Don’t

• do not drink lots of alcohol, caffeine (such as tea and coffee) or fizzy drinks

• do not eat foods that are acidic (like lemons), spicy, salty or sugary

• do not smoke

• do not sleep with dentures in

• do not use acidic artificial saliva products if you have your own teeth

• do not stop taking a prescribed medicine without getting medical advice first – even if you think it might be causing your symptoms

A pharmacist can help if you have a dry mouth

If you have a dry mouth, ask a pharmacist about treatments you can buy to help keep your mouth moist.

You can get:

• gels
• sprays
• tablets or lozenges

Not all products are suitable for everyone. Ask a pharmacist for advice about the best one for you.

If your dry mouth might be caused by a blocked nose, a pharmacist may suggest decongestants to unblock it.

See a GP if:

You have a dry mouth and:

• it makes it difficult when talking or eating
• your mouth is still dry after trying home or pharmacy treatments for a few weeks
• you're struggling to eat regularly
• you're having problems with your sense of taste that are not going away
• your mouth is painful, red, swollen or bleeding
• you have sore white patches in your mouth
• you think a prescribed medicine might be causing your dry mouth
• you have other symptoms, like needing to pee a lot or dry eyes

The GP can check what the cause might be and recommend treatment for it.

A pharmacist may be able to suggest things to provide relief from your symptoms while you're waiting to talk to a GP.