Why Quitting Smoking is A Crucial Component of Dry Mouth Treatment
Dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, is a condition in which the salivary glands don’t produce enough saliva, resulting in various oral health complications. There are several clinical causes of dry mouth, including medication, radiation treatment for head and neck cancer, autoimmune disease, and more. In addition to the primary causes of dry mouth, lifestyle habits can also impact the condition. Smoking is one of those habits.
Several studies show an association between nicotine products and dry mouth. One recent study found that the prevalence of xerostomia is high in healthy smoking populations and that xerostomia is more common in young smokers. Interestingly, the study also found that e-cigarette users are more likely than combustible tobacco users to have dry mouth, confirming other findings that e-cigarettes are not, in fact, safe.
As nicotine products are associated with dry mouth and can exacerbate its symptoms, quitting smoking is a lifestyle change that can help you manage and even your dry mouth symptoms.
Understanding Dry Mouth
Saliva plays a crucial role in oral health, including protecting teeth and gums, keeping the oral cavity clean, and preventing infection. It also aids with chewing, swallowing, and digesting food. Therefore, when the salivary glands don’t produce enough, the results are far-reaching.
Insufficient saliva production results in dry mouth, which includes symptoms like:
- Dry, cracked, and/or burning lips, tongue, and throat
- Frequent thirst
- Mouth sores
- Rampant dental caries
- Bad breath
- Difficulty chewing, swallowing, and/or speaking
The main cause of dry mouth is medication — many types of medication list dry mouth as a potential side effect. Additional causes of dry mouth include radiation treatment for head and neck cancers, which damages the salivary glands, and diseases like Sjögren’s syndrome and diabetes, which impair the salivary glands’ ability to produce saliva.
Identifying the source of the condition is important to achieve an effective dry mouth treatment plan. Some of the most common dry mouth therapy options include electrostimulation via the SaliPen, medication, and artificial saliva.
Smoking’s Impact on Oral Health
Today, cigarette companies are required by law to include health warnings on the boxes they sell. Given all the truly dangerous effects of smoking — such as cancer, lung disease, diabetes, and more — oral health side effects sometimes get overlooked, even though poor oral health can severely impact one’s quality of life AND be fatal.
Nicotine products impact oral health in the following ways:.
- Cancer: Nicotine products are a known risk factor for developing oral cancer.
- Gum disease: Smoking reduces blood flow to the gums and impairs the body’s immune response, making smokers more vulnerable to gum disease and oral infections.
- Salivary flow: Nicotine disrupts saliva production, contributing significantly to dry mouth.
- Exacerbated xerostomia symptoms: The vapor from e-cigarettes can dry out the mouth’s tissues, making dry mouth symptoms worse.
- Irritation of the oral cavity: Cigarettes and e-cigarettes contain thousands of chemicals, many of which directly irritate the soft tissues in the mouth.
Regardless of the method — traditional cigarettes, cigars, or e-cigarettes — nicotine addiction and the chemical exposure both damage the body’s natural ability to maintain moisture in the mouth.
Why Quitting Smoking Can Reduce Dry Mouth Symptoms
The connection between smoking and dry mouth is straightforward: smoking hinders saliva production, dries out the mouth, and inflames oral tissues. Quitting smoking removes the source of these problems, giving your mouth a chance to heal and function normally again.
Oral health benefits of quitting smoking include:
- Restoring normal saliva production: Once the irritation and chemical exposure stops, salivary glands can recover and start producing normal amounts of saliva again.
- Improved blood flow: Healthier blood flow to the gums and oral tissues improves overall mouth health and moisture levels.
- Reduced inflammation: Without constant chemical irritation, inflamed tissues can heal, reducing feelings of dryness and discomfort.
- Decreased risk of oral cancer: Nicotine is a known risk factor for developing oral cancer. Therefore, stopping the use of nicotine products lowers your risk (even though some damage may have already occurred from previous smoking).
- Improved taste and smell: Saliva plays a role in taste perception. Many former smokers notice an improvement in taste and smell after quitting, making eating and drinking more enjoyable.
Of course, quitting smoking isn’t easy. Nicotine withdrawal can cause temporary worsening of dry mouth symptoms, but this phase usually passes within a few weeks. In the long term, the benefits are profound not only for your mouth but for your entire body.
When Dry Mouth Persists After You’ve Quit Smoking
Even after quitting smoking, some people may still experience dry mouth, especially if other factors are involved (such as medications or chronic illnesses). Fortunately, several treatment options can help manage the symptoms and protect your oral health.
- Electrostimulation: An innovative treatment for dry mouth is oral electrostimulation therapy. This technique uses small, controlled electrical currents to stimulate the salivary glands, encouraging them to produce more saliva naturally. The SaliPen, an FDA-approved electrostimulation device for dry mouth therapy, is small, handheld, and can be used discreetly throughout the day.
- Medication: Medications, such as pilocarpine or cevimeline, activate receptors that trigger the salivary glands to produce more saliva. While they can be effective, these medications aren’t suitable for everyone, as they can have side effects like sweating, increased urination, or nausea — so they’re usually recommended only when dry mouth is severe and persistent.
- Saliva substitutes: For immediate, short-term relief, saliva substitutes treat the symptoms of dry mouth, but not the root cause (salivary dysfunction). Saliva substitutes, also known as artificial saliva, are usually over-the-counter products such as sprays, gels, or lozenges. They’re designed to mimic natural saliva and moisten the mouth, temporarily reducing discomfort.
Additionally, simple daily habits can support oral health and saliva production, such as:
- Staying hydrated by sipping water throughout the day.
- Chewing sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva flow.
- Avoiding alcohol-based mouthwashes, which can dry out your mouth.
- Using a humidifier at night to maintain moisture in the air.
- Limiting caffeine intake, as caffeine is a diuretic and can exacerbate dryness.
- Brushing and flossing regularly.
The Best Dry Mouth Treatment is Often a Combination of Methods
If you’re struggling with dry mouth and still smoking or vaping, quitting might feel like a daunting task. But it’s important to remember: your body has an incredible ability to heal, and your mouth is no exception.
Quitting smoking is the first step in combating dry mouth (and improving your general health).
By quitting, you’re not just fighting dry mouth, you’re giving yourself a chance for healthier gums, stronger teeth, better breath, and a more comfortable, enjoyable life. And if dry mouth symptoms persist, modern treatments like electrostimulation, medications, and saliva substitutes are available to help.
Research has shown that a multimodal approach — i.e., using various treatments at the same time, is more effective than choosing just one option. For example, taking medication without quitting smoking and limiting alcohol/caffeine won’t be as effective as taking medication plus making the recommended lifestyle changes. Or, using the SaliPen combined with saliva substitutes is likely to be more effective than the SaliPen without.
Every individual is different — treatments that prove effective for your friend or partner might not do anything for you. If you try something that doesn’t work, don’t despair. Try again. Work with your doctor to find the best combination of dry mouth therapy options that will be successful for your particular situation.
