Description:

Dry mouth

A dry mouth is rarely a sign of anything serious. There are things you can do to help ease it yourself. See a GP if these do not work or you also have other symptoms.

Causes of a dry mouth

The main causes of a dry mouth are:

dehydration – for example, from not drinking enough, sweating a lot or being ill
medicines – check the leaflet or search for your medicine online to see if dry mouth is a side effect
breathing through your mouth at night – this can happen if you have a blocked nose or you sleep with your mouth open
anxiety
cancer treatment (radiotherapy or chemotherapy)
oral thrush (mouth thrush)

Sometimes a dry mouth that does not go away may be caused by a condition like diabetes or Sjögren's syndrome .

How to help ease a dry mouth yourself

Do

drink plenty of cold water – take regular sips during the day and keep some water by your bed at night
suck on ice cubes or ice lollies
sip on cold unsweetened drinks
chew sugar-free gum or suck on sugar-free sweets
use lip balm if your lips are also dry
brush your teeth twice a day and use alcohol-free mouthwash – you're more likely to get tooth decay if you have a dry mouth

Don’t

do not drink lots of alcohol, caffeine (such as tea and coffee) or fizzy drinks
do not use acidic artificial saliva products (like Glandosane aerosol spray) if you have your own teeth
do not have foods that are acidic (like lemons), spicy, salty or sugary
do not smoke
do not sleep with dentures in
do not stop taking a prescribed medicine without getting medical advice first – even if you think it might be causing your symptoms

A pharmacist can help if you have a dry mouth

Ask a pharmacist about treatments you can buy to help keep your mouth moist.

You can get:

gels
sprays
tablets or lozenges

Not all products are suitable for everyone. Ask a pharmacist for advice about the best one for you.

If your dry mouth might be caused by a blocked nose, a pharmacist may suggest decongestants to unblock it.

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

your mouth is still dry after trying home or pharmacy treatments for a few weeks
you have difficulty chewing, swallowing or talking
you're struggling to eat regularly
you are having problems with your sense of taste that are not going away
your mouth is painful, red, swollen or bleeding
you have sore white patches in your mouth
you think a prescribed medicine might be causing your dry mouth
you have other symptoms, like needing to pee a lot or dry eyes

They can check what the cause might be and recommend treatment for it.

Page last reviewed: 20 April 2021
Next review due: 20 April 2024