Dry Mouth Treatments During the Summer: Clinical vs. Seasonal

During the summer, your mouth and throat might feel drier than in the cold, rainy winter months.     Long days in the sun, hot weather, and air conditioning can leave you feeling continually dried out and thirsty. While this seasonal dryness can be annoying, it’s usually temporary — the result of environmental factors rather than a health condition.

 

But what happens when dry mouth persists even after you’ve cooled down, hydrated, and gotten out of the heat? That’s when you might be dealing with a clinical case of dry mouth, known as xerostomia, which often requires medical treatment.

 

In this article, we’ll discuss why dry mouth is more persistent in the summer, how to tell the difference between temporary seasonal dryness and xerostomia, and effective dry mouth treatment options.

 

Why Dry Mouth Often Gets Worse in the Summer

Hot weather alone doesn’t cause clinical dry mouth, but it can dry out your mouth temporarily. There are a few reasons why summer makes this more likely:

 

1. Higher temperatures cause faster moisture loss: When it’s hot outside, your body produces sweat as a way to cool itself down. But sweating also reduces fluid levels. When there’s not enough fluid in the body, the salivary glands are unable to properly produce saliva. 

 

1. Increased outdoor activity: When temperatures are high, outdoor activities like running, biking, or even walking will make you sweat more than usual, another factor in fluid loss. 

 

1. Air conditioning and fans: Hot temperatures often drive people to use air conditioning and fans to cool down — which is important — but these things can reduce the humidity in the air you breathe, leading to more moisture loss from the mouth and throat.
   
   
2. Summer drinks that dehydrate: Yes, we should all be drinking more water in the summer, but what often happens is that we indulge in treats like iced coffee and tea, cocktails, and sodas — diuretics that dry us out and impair saliva production.
   
   
3. Seasonal allergies and medications: Many people rely on antihistamines to treat summer allergies,  and this type of medication causes dry mouth as a side effect. 

 

Seasonal Dry Mouth vs. Clinical Dry Mouth: How to Tell the Difference

While both seasonal and clinical dry mouth share the same basic symptoms, their causes, severity, and treatments differ.

 

Seasonal dry mouth is usually temporary and doesn’t require medical intervention. It can often be relieved by simple lifestyle changes like drinking more water, avoiding dehydrating drinks, and using a humidifier. When dry mouth is seasonal, symptoms improve once environmental conditions change — for example, after spending time in cooler, more humid air.

 

Xerostomia, on the other hand, occurs when your salivary glands don’t produce enough saliva, or when the saliva they produce is low-quality and can’t protect your mouth.

 

There are several causes of xerostomia:

 

• Medications (including many for blood pressure, depression, and allergies)
• Autoimmune conditions like Sjögren’s syndrome
• Cancer treatments such as head and neck radiation therapy
• Chronic conditions like diabetes
• Thyroid conditions or nerve damage
  
  

Unlike seasonal dryness, clinical dry mouth persists regardless of the weather and has many accompanying symptoms:

 

• Bad breath
• Burning sensation in the mouth and throat
• Cracked lips and tongue fissures
• Trouble speaking, chewing, and swallowing
• Increased cavities and gum disease
  
  

If your symptoms linger beyond a few days, don’t improve with hydration, or interfere with your daily life, your dry mouth is likely clinical. 

 

You Don’t Need to Live With Dry Mouth Symptoms — Seek Treatment

It’s easy to brush off dry mouth as a minor inconvenience, but saliva is critical for oral health. It neutralizes acids, washes away food particles, and contains enzymes that kick off the digestive process. Without enough saliva, you’re at higher risk for:

 

• Rampant tooth decay
• Gum disease
• Mouth sores and infections
• Difficulty wearing dentures
• Persistent bad breath
• Trouble sleeping, eating, and talking
  
  

The good news is that there are several effective dry mouth treatments.

 

• The SaliPen: The SaliPen is an FDA-approved, handheld device that uses gentle, low-level electrical stimulation to activate the salivary glands. 
• Medications: Prescription drugs like pilocarpine and cevimeline also stimulate saliva production, but unlike the SaliPen, they often come with unpleasant side effects such as chest pain, sweating, nausea, and dizziness.
• Artificial saliva substitutes: Over-the-counter gels, sprays, and lozenges offer temporary relief in the form of artificial saliva, but they don’t address the underlying cause.
• Lifestyle habits: In addition to medical intervention, the same lifestyle changes that help dry mouth during the summer can also help year-round. These include drinking enough water, minimizing alcohol, nicotine, and sugar intake, and breathing through your nose and using a humidifier at night.
  
  

When to Treat Dry Mouth Yourself and When to See a Professional

Summer heat can make anyone’s mouth feel dry, but if the problem persists beyond the season or doesn’t improve with hydration, it may be a sign of clinical dry mouth. 

 

If your dry mouth is purely seasonal, small changes to your daily habits, like those listed above, can bring quick relief. And when the weather cools down, your symptoms are likely to go away. 

 

If you have clinical dry mouth, your care plan should be more comprehensive. This may mean combining a long-term treatment like the SaliPen with symptom management strategies such as artificial saliva, frequent dental checkups, and lifestyle changes.By taking steps to address both the cause and the discomfort, you can protect your oral health year-round, even when summer heat is at its peak.

 

FAQS

Why does my mouth feel drier in the summer?
Hot weather, increased sweating, air conditioning, fans, and dehydrating drinks all contribute to temporary summer dry mouth. These factors reduce the body’s overall hydration, which limits saliva production.

 

How can I tell if my dry mouth is seasonal or clinical?
Seasonal dry mouth improves with hydration and environmental changes, like spending time in cooler, more humid air, and with drinking more water. Clinical dry mouth persists regardless of the weather and typically requires medical intervention. 

 

What is the best dry mouth treatment?
There are several effective dry mouth treatments, including electrostimulation, medication, and artificial saliva. None of these is necessarily “the best,” but rather, each individual must find the best treatment regimen for them. The best regimen often includes a combination of treatments, and must be tailored to each individual’s medical history and conditions. 

 

Can seasonal dry mouth turn into clinical dry mouth?
Seasonal dryness does not cause clinical xerostomia, but if you already have underlying risk factors, such as certain medications or health conditions, you may experience worsening dry mouth symptoms during the summer.

 

Is dry mouth at night a sign of something serious?
Not always. Seasonal factors like sleeping with air conditioning or a fan can dry out your mouth, and the body naturally produces less saliva at night. However, frequent dry mouth at night may point to clinical xerostomia and should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.

 

Is the SaliPen safe to use every day?

Yes. The SaliPen is an FDA-approved, drug-free device designed for daily use. It gently stimulates your salivary glands to increase natural saliva production, helping alleviate dry mouth symptoms without the side effects associated with some medications.

 

Where can I buy the SaliPen?

You can buy the SaliPen here.