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Some degree of dry mouth in the morning is not uncommon. Your tongue sits in your mouth for hours, barely moving, which stimulates very little saliva production. Typically, you can solve this by brushing your teeth and having a glass of water.
But if you often wake up scrambling for a glass of water and hacking uncomfortably because of dry mouth, you could be having breathing issues at night.
At Bayside Dental Arts, in Bayside, New York, Andrey Ilyabayev, DDS, and our team provide minimally invasive solutions for patients struggling with sleep apnea, a common cause of dry mouth in the morning.
What causes dry mouth
Xerostomia, known commonly as dry mouth, occurs when the salivary glands fail to produce enough liquid. Your saliva does more than keep your mouth wet; it helps you chew and digest food, flushes germs and debris from your teeth, and allows you to speak and swallow smoothly.
Anxiety or nervousness can lead to dry mouth, along with certain medications and smoking. While these cause xerostomia during your waking hours, dry mouth during the night often indicates obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
When you snore or struggle to breathe in your sleep, you naturally open your mouth to get more air. The constant airflow dries up your saliva, causing dry mouth upon waking. Xerostomia is one of the most common symptoms of OSA, but also one of the most easily overlooked.
Solutions for dry mouth due to sleep apnea
Dry mouth is more than uncomfortable. Left untreated, it can increase your risk of tooth decay and bad breath. You can reduce the symptoms and side effects of dry mouth by staying hydrated and practicing good oral hygiene, but this doesn’t address the root issue.
Obstructive sleep apnea requires specialized treatment. At Bayside Dental Arts, Dr. Ilyabayev can evaluate risk factors and symptoms to diagnose OSA. Men are twice as likely to develop the condition, especially if they are overweight or suffer from congested airways.
Other symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- Sore throat
- Irritability
- Brain fog
- Frequent sleep interruptions
Over time, this chronic lack of sleep can raise your blood pressure, affect your memory, and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Depending on what’s obstructing the airway, treatment for sleep apnea can vary. If you have a mild to moderate case, we might recommend a custom-made appliance that pushes your jaw forward or holds your tongue in place.
If your case is severe, Dr. Ilyabayev might recommend a CPAP machine to maintain continuous positive airway pressure.
If you suspect your daily dry mouth is the result of sleep apnea, get in touch with us at Bayside Dental Arts in the Bayside neighborhood of Queens, New York City, by calling 315-908-0804, or book an appointment online.