My mouth is producing too much saliva

Saliva production is a natural and important part of good oral health. We need it to help protect our teeth from cavities, breakdown food so our stomachs can digest them more easily, and fight off bad breath bacteria. But the team at our Manassas dental office wants you to know that there is such a thing as producing too much saliva. When it comes to spit, more isn’t necessarily better.

How is Too Much of a Good Thing a Bad Thing?

We already know that saliva is beneficial for both our oral health and our digestive health. So it only makes sense that more of it can only mean good things. Except in this case, it doesn’t. But how can something that’s good for us also be bad? When someone produces too much saliva, also known as hypersalivation, it can not only be uncomfortable, but also embarrassing and perhaps even a sign that something else is going on.

What Causes Excessive Saliva Production?

Like many things related to our bodies, there is no one definite cause behind hypersalivation, and there could be a variety of explanations. Let’s take a closer look at three of them…

When there is an active infection in the mouth, the body may try to fight it off by producing more and more saliva. This is just one more reason it’s important to see your dentist in Manassas regularly.

All medications come paired with some sort of side effects. Excessive saliva production may be one of them. If you think this may be the cause of your mouth watering, do not stop any medications before talking with your doctor.

One of the more serious, yet rare, causes of hypersalivation is poisoning. Saliva production can go into overdrive following a bite from spider or reptile venom, eating poisonous mushrooms, or poisoning caused by mercury, or copper.

Know the Signs

Besides the more obvious signs of hypersalivation such as drooling or spitting, other symptoms may include:

• Bad breath
• Chapped lips
• Dehydration
• Difficulty eating or drinking
• Changes in speech

Even though mouth watering may be annoying, there’s a good chance it’s not caused by something incredibly serious. However, that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. The best thing you can do is see a dentist to better understand the root cause as well as the best treatment option for you.

We’re here to help our neighbors get and keep a healthy mouth. We welcome you to schedule an appointment at our dental office in Manassas.

iSmile Dental Care has four dental offices across Northern Virginia including Manassas, Reston, Gainesville, and Fairfax.

Talking about spit isn’t incredibly glamorous, but it sure is important. Especially for those who produce too much of it. When someone has too much saliva, they may be embarrassed and uncomfortable by the common side effects of something called hypersalivation. At our dental office Danville, we want these patients to know that while it is uncomfortable, excessive salivation may also be a sign of an underlying problem.

Spit Is Important

Believe it or not, spit plays a crucial role in our overall bodily function. It helps break down food as we chew, making it easier to swallow and for the stomach to digest it. Saliva also rinses away bacteria in the mouth and neutralizes acids that otherwise could eat away at tooth enamel and cause cavities. We typically produce about 1.5 quarts of spit every day. However, when more is produced, we’ll experience mouth watering.

What Causes Mouth Watering?

There could be any number of possible explanations to excessive saliva production and mouth watering. While some may not seem serious, the best thing you can do is to call your dentist in Danville to better understand your underlying cause. Some possible causes of hypersalivation may include:

• A diet high in starches
• Medications
• Acid reflux
• Infections such as gum disease
• Neurological conditions including Parkinson’s disease
• Poisoning

What are The Signs of Hypersalivation?

There are some obvious signs of hypersalivation including drooling, spitting, or constantly swallowing. But there are also other symptoms that aren’t always so noticeable, including:

• Bad breath
• Changes in speech
• Difficulty eating or drinking
• Chapped lips
• Dehydration

Even though many of the causes of hypersalivation aren’t serious, it’s still something that shouldn’t be ignored. Getting answers to what’s causing your mouth to water is the first step to treating it successfully.

We welcome you to call our Danville dental office to schedule an appointment. At your visit we’ll dive into your symptoms, talk about how long you’ve been experiencing them, and review your medical history and medication use. All of this will help us get a thorough picture of what may be going on so we can determine the best way to treat it.

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