“What could be the cause of my dry mouth?”

Your dry mouth may be caused by medication you are taking; or if you sleep with your mouth open; or anxiety to name a few possible causes. Consult a dentist for thorough examination and evaluation to more exactly diagnose and treat your situation

There can be a variety of causes when it comes to dry mouth. The most common is from taking medications. So, if you you are taking any medications, look at the potential side effects. Even over the counter medications can cause drying. How much WATER are you drinking? I am talking straight up water, not juices, coffee, tea. You should consume 1/2 your body weight in water daily and more when you exercise. A few other things to consider are mouth rinses - if alcohol based, avoid; drinking alcoholic beverages in general, especially if you are not balancing with water in between. If you have looked at the above possible causes and none of them relate to you, you may want to consider and exam with your physician to rule out any systemic causes.

Hope this helps!

Dr. Jennifer Rankin

There are many reasons for dry mouth from an autoimmune condition to medications or other conditions. I would assume if you’re waking up with a dry mouth but not struggling with dry mouth throughout the day then I would think you are mouth breathing during the night. There may be an underlining condition of deviated septum that causes you to mouth breathing, sleep apnea or just the dryness from summer time. If you’re on medication, that is the usual cause of dry mouth. I would recommend a lot of water intake and chewing gum or sucking on xylitol based hard candy to help increase your saliva. Also supplements like Biotene products will help.

There could be a variety of medical reasons. Medications, mouth-breathing, drug/alcohol use, allergies, air quality in your house, your daily water intake, etc etc. You need an examination by your doctor and a dentist to find the possible reasons or diagnosis.

At 24 dry mouth is unusual. Unless you are taking some sort of medication that has the effect of causing dry mouth, the cause is most likely some form of mouth breathing or sleep apnea. You might want to look at a local pharmacy for XyliMelts and give them a try. Patients have had varying degrees of success with them. While it does leave sleep apnea undiagnosed if it exists, it may help you with your symptoms.

The most common side effect of medications is dry mouth. Also drinking alcoholic beverages in the late evening dehydrates the body. 

Most mouth breathers while they sleep wake with a dry mouth.