Sucking on candies to cure dry mouth only causes problems

Many medications cause dry mouth as a side effect. While this may seem like little more than a nuisance during the time that the medication is necessary, the condition could have a serious long term impact on individuals' oral health.

One reason for this is because those who are experiencing dry mouth often turn to sugary hard candies to stimulate saliva production. Many health experts say that this is the absolute worst thing they can do.

John Reitz, a Pennsylvania-based dentist, recently wrote in the Reading Eagle that holding sugary candies in the mouth for long periods of time to combat dry mouth can result in damage to the root of teeth. Individuals with this type of tooth decay often must endure hours of procedures to correct the problem.

He added that these patients should consider using fluoridated toothpastes and mouthwashes to help correct whatever damage they may have caused by sucking on candy to cure their dry mouth.

Additionally, there are certain mouthwashes that are specially formulated to stimulate saliva production, which studies by the National Institutes of Health have shown are effective at curing dry mouth.