Severe Dry Mouth Help

[wahoozer]

My Mother has severe dry mouth. She has tried sucking on hard candy, doesn't help.
Any suggestions?

[paul.karen]

A few ice cubes?

[KICKSTART]

Sometimes medication does that . I got an artificial saliva spray from my doctor but to be honest it wasnt much good. Because of fluid restrictions maybe just keep swilling her mouth out with water ?

[joyfulmother]

I am addicted to Sugar Free mints (the kind in the little round container).  I also like Altoids - has to be Wintergreen.  It helps my dry mouth a lot.

[Darthvadar]

Mum often has a dry mouth due to the fluid restriction, and do I to due to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome...

My dentist tells me that artificial saliva treatments work better in combination of two or three products... We use BioExtra Spray, suckable tablets, and gum... It seems to work for us...

If your mouth gets very dry, try sucking on a small piece of a lemon or lime (we keep small pieces in a bag in the freezer)... Bet the very idea is making you produce more saliva!!!...

Darth...

[boxman55]

I get it too from one of my prescriptions. I like sucking on Ludens wil cherry cough drops works great and guess what I never get coughs...Boxman

[Hanify]

Try a drink in a spray bottle.  She can spray her mouth as often as she likes, but won't be drinking much.

[wahoozer]

Great! Thanks everyone, I will pass the suggestions onto her.

[Inara]

Don't forget ice chips! 

[LightLizard]

a very simple and cost-free method of moistening the mouth comes from
the ancient art of tai chi. with the mouth gently closed, that is, lips together and teeth softly together too, curl the tip of the tongue up to touch the roof of the mouth. (it works with dentures, too) -this stimulates the saliva gland under the tongue and causes the production of saliva.
the further back that you touch the roof of the mouth with the tounge-tip, the greater the saliva flow. it doesn't take long, and i wouldn't do it for more than a few minutes at a time. you can over-stimulate the gland and cause swelling.

[okarol]

I found this:
Quick and Easy Thirst Quencher

By Dale Ester

ESRD treatment comes with many restrictions, but with creative thinking, you can deal with them. One of the most important restrictions is to limit fluid intake so it won't interfere with dialysis treatment. It can be tough at times.

I found a quick and easy way to help control my daily fluid intake. I buy small, plastic-coated freezer balls filled with gel. They come in various bright colors, six per package, approximately one inch in diameter, for about $2.00 in US money. You can get these at grocery stores or at party store outlets. They're targeted for kids to enjoy as a colorful drink enhancer, but I find they serve a function a dialysis patient can really benefit from—helping with the fluid intake dilemma.

Try this tip to quench your thirst: Freeze the miniature party balls. When you're thirsty or your mouth is dry, take one out of the freezer and run water over it before putting it into your mouth. This will keep it from freezing to your tongue and other areas. Pop it in your mouth, then sit back and enjoy a scrumptious pleasure of sheer delight. The thin icy coating on the freezer ball melts, dripping frozen coolness into your mouth and "fools" you into believing you're savoring a truly wet ice cube—but not really. The gel inside the cube melts, too, but the plastic cover keeps it contained inside the ball. Almost no fluid is swallowed, except for the saliva you work up while sucking on the cube. Yet the icy cold treat is satisfying and safe, too.

A dialysis patient's dry mouth can be relieved from this simple kid's toy. As always, make sure you're sitting up when you're enjoying this treat, to prevent choking.

It's no wonder children enjoy the freezer balls. Who said kids can't teach adults a thing or two? Try it—you'll like it!

[boclark54]

When my husband was in-center he used frozen seedless grapes. Freeze a plastic bagful and just use one at a time, lasts awhile hard and then can eat when softens. Worked good for him. Actually, tasted so good I also started liking them.

[jbeany]

I think any kind of frozen fruit helps - I like green grapes, but strawberries and raspberries are equally yummy and good for quenching thirst.

[Jean]

I suppose popsicles are out, huh? Too much fluid?

[BobN]

Don't forget, the biggest culprit in controlling thirst is sodium intake.

Keep your sodium at a minimum, including most processed foods, and you will be amazed how you won't be so thirsty anymore.

[Hanify]

I suppose popsicles are out, huh? Too much fluid?

Popsicles are food fluid wise - they're only about 100ml.  But They might be a bit sugar high for some.

[Hanify]

I meant good - not food...

[willieandwinnie]

I always kept the small containers of Italian Ice in the freezer and Len would eat part of a container and said it help.   

[jbeany]

I've got a box of fruit bars/popsicles.  I was wondering about the fluid content, too.  They claim to have "real strawberry" in them.  So I put one in a water glass that holds a one cup measure, and melted it in the microwave.  The good news is that the fluid in it is pretty minimal - less than a quarter of a cup.  The bad news is the "real strawberry", once it's melted and truly visible is only about a quarter of strawberry.

[Jean]

jbeany, that was good thinking on your part.

[Ang]

sour  lollies  activate  the  saliva  glands.

[LightLizard]

actually, the very best method of moistening the mouth does not involve ingesting anything at all.
it is an ancient health execise from the chinese tradition of qigong. something i taught for years, before my kidneys croaked.
it's called 'washing the teeth' and you can try it while you are reading this and see just how well it works.
keeping the mouth closed throughout,
put the tip of your tongue between your upper teeth on the left side and the inside of your cheek. move the tongue across the teeth from left to right, as though 'washing' or wiping the teeth with your tongue. then, put the tongue-tip on the outside of your bottom teeth on the right, between your teeth and inner cheek. wipe the bottom teeth from right to left. then, repeat the first motion, that is, tongue  between upper teeth on the left again, and wipe to the right, again. then, the lower teeth from right to left, again. as if you were making a 'figure eight' with your tongue, you could say.
repeat the motion at least eight times. then, do it in the opposite direction, starting ith the tongue-tip between your upper teeth on the right, washing to the left. lower teeth to the left, wash to the right. etc. eight times as well. if your mouth is still dry, call the coroner.
 

[wahoozer]

I think my 80 year old mother would probably shoot me if I try explaining that to her. LOL

[LightLizard]

you might be surprised. it was 90-year old chinese people that came up with the exercise.


and by the way, i used to teach exercise classes based on the chinese arts of tai chi and qigong at about 7 different senior centers, here in victoria, before i got sick, and this exercise was one of their favourites.
they were all in their 70's, 80's and even 90's.