A dry mouth while pregnant is actually quite a common issue.
Pregnancy dry mouth can cause tooth decay, sore throat, snoring, trouble sleeping, and even sleep apnea worse, as if pregnant women didn’t have to deal with enough.
If you are looking for answers about why you are experiencing dry mouth during pregnancy, and want to relieve dry mouth, then this article is for you.
Dry mouth while pregnant
Oral health isn’t something widely discussed when it comes to pregnancy.
However, your oral health is pretty fragile and is at quite a risk when pregnant.
Pregnant women often experience dry mouth, tooth decay, pregnancy gingivitis, and even tooth loss.
Dry mouth symptoms can be frustrating and uncomfortable, and excessive thirst can make you miserable.
Understanding the underlying causes of dry mouth during pregnancy can help you counteract the annoying and sometimes painful symptoms.
Causes of dry mouth during pregnancy
Pregnant women have it rough sometimes.
There’s morning sickness, fatigue, trouble sleeping, soreness, skin and hair changes, frequent urination, and more. Add to that list: dry mouth.
Even though it’s not an often discussed pregnancy symptom, it’s an issue that plagues many pregnant women in the first trimester.
The following are some of the causes of dry mouth during pregnancy.
1. Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs only during pregnancy. It affects many women and can make your pregnancy a bit more complicated.
If you have gestational diabetes, your body cannot process insulin, a hormone that your body produces and processes.
Gestational diabetes and high blood sugar, in general, can cause excessive thirst, severe dehydration, and other issues.
You need to stick to a healthy diet and get lots of exercise if you have gestational diabetes.
Be sure to speak to your doctor to develop a comprehensive plan to manage your gestational diabetes and conquer high blood sugar so you can have a healthy pregnancy.
2. More blood volume
When you are pregnant, your body makes more blood to accommodate your growing baby. Because of this, your body loses water faster, and more water is needed to accommodate extra blood and fluids during pregnancy.
This can make dry mouth during pregnancy even worse.
3. Changing hormones
Your body goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy. Changing hormones can worsen dry mouth as your body attempts to deal with all the changes in your body and hormones.
4. Dehydration
Most of us don’t drink enough water. Gestational diabetes can also lead to easier dehydration.
You should drink water all day to prevent tooth decay, dry mouth, and other symptoms of dehydration. The rule of thumb is that if you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.
An excellent way to tell if you need more water intake is to look at your urine.
Clear or pale yellow urine is healthy and hydrated. Dark yellow urine, however, means that you are dehydrated.
5. Sleep apnea
Sleep issues, such as sleep apnea, can lead to dry mouth. Snoring, sleeping with your mouth open, and not having enough humidity in the room can all contribute to sleep apnea.
Snoring and sleeping with your mouth open can cause your mouth to be dry.
You may also have dry mouth issues if you are sleep deprived or fall asleep quickly but have trouble staying asleep.
6. Thrush
The fungus called candida albicans causes thrush, which is, in layman’s terms, a yeast infection in your mouth. Other symptoms, such as a white “furry” feeling tough and inside of the cheeks, typically accompany this infection.
An antifungal medication is needed to treat thrush, and it needs to be dealt with quickly, as it can spread and make you sick.
It is also very contagious.
7. Enlarged tonsils
If you have enlarged tonsils, there’s a good chance that you also have issues with dryness of the mouth. Snoring is one of the other signs of this issue.
However, there are blatant signs of big or swollen tonsils that you can see using only a mirror.
If you have oversize tonsils, surgery can be performed to remove them.
However, your doctor may be apprehensive about doing the procedure as it comes with a bleeding risk as an adult, and even more so when pregnant.
Dry mouth symptoms
Although the dry mouth is more prevalent in the first stage of pregnancy, you can also experience it in the second and third trimesters.
Knowing the symptoms can help you recognize the issue and, therefore, get it under control.
We’ve discussed what the underlying cause of dry mouth may be. Now it’s time to discuss the symptoms.
Having a burning sensation in the mouth, trouble speaking, change in voice or hoarseness in your voice, a constant or persistent sore throat, trouble swallowing, excessive thirst, loose teeth, tooth sensitivity, mouth sores, low or no saliva production, a weakened immune system, and a cottony feeling on the tongue or in the throat are all symptoms of dry mouth.
The most common symptom is the sensation of dryness inside your mouth and throat.
How to treat dry mouth during pregnancy
To help stimulate saliva flow, you can do a few things.
Doing nothing can lead to bigger problems, especially if you have gestational diabetes or other health concerns, on top of a dry mouth.
The following steps are fairly simple steps that can help you relieve at least the prevalent symptom of dry mouth: discomfort and no saliva production.
1. Suck on ice chips
Sipping water or sucking on ice chips can help keep dry mouth at bay and stave off bacteria growth that can lead to oral infections and thrush.
2. Chewing gum
Chewing gum, specifically sugar-free gum, can help stimulate saliva production. Be mindful of your product choice and always reach for sugar-free gum, though, as the sugary type can lead to further tooth issues and irritate any infection or sores in your mouth.
3. Suck on frozen fruit
Frozen fruit is a tasty way to produce saliva if you’re not too wild about drinking water or sucking on ice. Just make sure to brush your teeth afterward, as fruit has natural sugars that can stick to your teeth and exacerbate the issue of gum and tooth sensitivity and pain.
4. Increase fluid intake
While you should be drinking more water, you can also drink fruit juices and tea. Coconut water is a great way to hydrate, as well.
Avoid caffeine like soda and coffee, as those can dry your mouth even more.
Good oral hygiene
Oral health issues are common in pregnancy, especially in cases where gestational diabetes occurs. While you should be drinking more fluids, you should also take care of your teeth, which can experience a lot of issues when you’re pregnant, especially in the first trimester (through the 13th week of pregnancy).
Taking proper care of your teeth and gums can help you battle those hormonal changes that can leave your teeth feeling loose and unhealthy.
Make sure to floss regularly, use mouthwash specifically made for dry mouth to help you produce more saliva, and brush your teeth often.
Dry throat during pregnancy
Breathing problems you may have already been dealing with due to apnea or pregnancy, in general, can cause even more breathing issues and discomfort if you have a dry mouth.
If you cannot get relief with the home remedies listed in this article, don’t hesitate to speak to your doctor.
Speaking with your doctor regarding dry mouth during pregnancy can result in potential clinical treatments and give your doctor a chance to prescribe treatment to create a saliva substitute and help you find relief.