Content

• Steps

Lack of saliva can make your mouth uncomfortable and can cause problems with your mouth, as saliva protects teeth. If you can't naturally produce enough saliva, there are a few things you can do to increase your saliva production. Consuming common foods and household products is usually the easiest way to produce more saliva. However, if the amount of saliva secreted is extremely low and the therapies you are taking don't seem to be effective, you can also use specialized treatments to help resolve the problem.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Increase salivation with food and drink

1. 

   Chewing gum. One of the easiest and fastest ways to increase saliva production is to peel off a gum stick in your mouth and chew it. Chewing tells your body that you are eating and that you need saliva to process the food.
   • Choosing sugar-free gum when having problems with saliva is a good idea. Tooth health is already in jeopardy due to insufficient saliva, so putting sugar in the mouth could cause additional problems.
   • Xylitol gum is a good option that will help prevent tooth decay.

2. 

   
   
   Suck on lozenges, hard candies, mints, or lollipops. Things that taste sweet or sour can stimulate the salivary glands. However, you should consider using a sugar-free one, such as a sugar-free mint to avoid damaging your teeth.
   • Try lollipops, hard candies, or slightly sour lozenges. The sour taste stimulates the salivary glands very well.

3. 

   
   
   Maintain adequate amount of water in the body. When you're dealing with dry mouth, it's important to stay hydrated. Drink water all day to stay hydrated, moisten mouth and loosen phlegm.

4. 

   Use drinking water. One way to instantly moisten your mouth is to drink something. The drinks both help to moisten the mouth and stimulate the production of saliva.
   • Don't choose drinks containing alcohol or caffeine. Both substances have the ability to inhibit the production of saliva.

5. 

   
   
   Eat foods that stimulate the production of saliva. There are many foods that are effective in stimulating salivary glands due to their texture, sugar, acid content or bitter taste. These foods include:
   • Apple
   • Hard cheese
   • Crispy vegetables
   • Citrus fruits
   • Bitter vegetables
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Method 2 of 3: Use over-the-counter products and home remedies

1. 

   Use apple cider vinegar mouthwash. A home remedy that can help produce saliva is a simple mixture of apple cider vinegar and water. Mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in one cup of water. Gargle with the mixture and spit it out after about 1 minute.
   • This remedy is both a mouthwash, and freshens your breath, while also moisturizing your mouth.

2. 

   Use an over-the-counter artificial saliva. Most pharmacies have products that are used to treat dry mouth. You can add this product to your mouth at regular intervals to moisten your mouth and stimulate saliva production.
   • These products come in many forms such as sprays, gels, or mouthwash.

3. 

   Reduced status snore and open your mouth when you sleep. A common cause of dry mouth and reduced saliva is opening your mouth while sleeping and snoring. To reduce morning dry mouth and help maintain normal saliva levels, change your sleeping position, clear your nasal passages, and make some lifestyle changes that may make breathing easier.
   • Mouth breathing and snoring allow air to pass through the mouth and reduce the moisture in the mouth.
   • If some simple changes in your lifestyle and sleeping position aren't helping, contact your doctor for other solutions.
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Method 3 of 3: Specialized treatment

1. 

   Talk to your doctor about what's going on. If you are having a problem with dry mouth, talk to your doctor about the possible causes and treatment. Maintaining enough saliva is important, so if home remedies don't help, seek medical attention to fix the problem.

2. 

   Avoid medications that cause dry mouth. If you are taking a medication that causes dry mouth, talk to your doctor about alternative medicines. There may be other medicines available to help you treat the condition, but it won't cause dry mouth side effects.
   • There are hundreds of drugs known to cause dry mouth, including the very common ones like benadryl, acetaminophen and claritin.

3. 

   Address potential health problems. In many cases, the dry mouth is so severe that it requires medical treatment and is associated with health problems. It could be a side effect of the treatment or an illness.

4. 

   Take medicines that increase saliva production. If saliva production is particularly low, your doctor may prescribe medication to help increase saliva production. There are many drugs that your doctor may prescribe, depending on your symptoms and potential health problems.
   • Salagen is a medication that is commonly prescribed to treat lack of saliva.
   • Evoxac is a medicine that increases saliva production for people with Sjögren's syndrome, a condition that causes dry eyes, mouth, and skin.
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