Did you know that smoking can cause dry mouth? Many of us who smoke, including those infrequent smokers and heavy smokers would likely to experience dry mouth. Obviously this condition is characterized by a feeling of dryness in the mouth that is hard to quench. In many cases, the condition is chronic, or it might not go away.  Your mouth naturally needs a strong supply of saliva to make sure that you could easily chew food and swallow properly. With that, it is very important to understand clearly how smoking causes dry mouth and also to discover if it has a long term side effects on you.

Why It Happens

Smoking, particularly of any type, causes dry mouth. This includes smoking a pipe, smoking cigarettes, smoking illegal drugs or even chewing tobacco. The chemicals within these products could dry out your mouth and they could also interfere with your body’s ability to know when the mouth needs additional fluids, which typically kick start the salivary glands into producing more saliva. So those of you who smoke regularly are the most likely to experience dry mouth, however it could also happen to anyone, whether he or she smoke or not.

Should you Quit smoking?

While dry mouth may not be a big reason to stop smoking for some people, it should be. A constant dry mouth can lead to numerous health problems including early tooth decay, gum disease and infections. Not only can it become difficult to swallow and to chew, but it also becomes difficult to smile and talk. Many people face embarrassment because of this condition. In addition to this, you may experience additional bacteria and acid build up in the mouth, which can lead to painful infections. Indigestion or problems with the digestive process can also kick in. All of these problems stem from the use of tobacco and the reduction of saliva produced by the mouth because of the chemicals in the tobacco.

If you do use these products, it is likely that dry mouth is a side effect for you. However, side effects like this can also be indications of other illnesses or be side effects from medications you are taking.

There may be solutions to help improve the function of your salivary glands. While it is true that smoking causes dry mouth symptoms, you may be able to reverse some of the damage done by making better health decisions. Not smoking is a good place to start. You may also be able to get help from a doctor or dentist to handle any other underlying condition leading to your symptoms.

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