Dry Mouth - NHS

Tier 1: Established: peer-reviewed research or government health authority
Publisher: NHS (National Health Service, UK) · Published: November 29, 2023 · Accessed: August 10, 2026

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Claims this source supports

• A dry mouth is rarely a sign of anything serious; main causes include dehydration, medicines (check the leaflet), breathing through your mouth at night, anxiety, cancer treatment, and oral thrush.
• Sometimes a dry mouth that does not go away may be caused by a condition like diabetes or Sjögren's syndrome.
• To ease a dry mouth at home: drink plenty of cold water (regular sips during the day, keep water by the bed at night), suck ice cubes, sip cold unsweetened drinks, chew sugar-free gum or suck sugar-free sweets, use lip balm, and brush twice a day with alcohol-free mouthwash - you are more likely to get tooth decay if you have a dry mouth.
• Avoid lots of alcohol, caffeine and fizzy drinks; avoid acidic, spicy, salty or sugary foods; do not smoke; do not sleep with dentures in; do not use acidic artificial saliva products if you have your own teeth; and do not stop a prescribed medicine without medical advice.
• A pharmacist can advise on treatments you can buy to keep your mouth moist, including gels, sprays, and tablets or lozenges; not all products suit everyone.
• See a GP if a dry mouth makes talking or eating difficult, is still dry after a few weeks of home or pharmacy treatment, comes with taste problems that are not going away, a painful/red/swollen/bleeding mouth, sore white patches, or other symptoms like needing to pee a lot or dry eyes.