Dry mouth & nausea & ...toothpaste?

[Slimthistime]

I really hope someone reads this amid the excitement of the other thread today, but I didn't want to BU by posting anywhere else for traffic.

I hope MNers can help because they know everything!

Since March I have had problems with the above, initially doc thought it was oral thrush but then we realised it wasn't. It was starting to give me a vague feeling of nausea so I was taking those sweets that help create saliva but the only ones that work are really pricey.

anyhow, doc eliminated lots of causes including diabetes and I didn't have any symptoms of anything else so we were starting to worry I might have some autoimmune disease or need to come off regular fluoxetine and then it dawned on me....

it could be my toothpaste couldn't it? Sounds easy enough to change but a) I have sensitive teeth b) dentist is a complete fluoride obsessive and had a fit at the idea of me using a natural toothpaste.

to be honest though, even if it doesn't help my teeth, I cannot go on with this dry mouth and feeling sick unless I want to spend about £15 a week on the sweets that don't cure it anyway, they just make it a bit better.

I feel like I've spent a bunch of money trying to solve this so I thought I'd ask if anyone had this and what toothpaste they use and what should I do, use that and then use sensitive toothpaste as well?

argh.

Thanks for listening. Sorry to rant, but lack of proper saliva production has really had a poor effect on my health generally and it feels like there's no proper advice.

[MikeUniformMike]

There used to be a brand of toothpaste that made me sick. I don't know why but i'd just heave when using it. Not had it with any other brand.

[lyrebird1]

Could it be the SLS in the toothpaste? It is a detergent in most toothpastes that makes it foam but can cause dry mouth and sores. I get dry mouth because of medication and use Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash which is SLS free and has 1450ppm fluoride. Not sure if it suitable for sensitive teeth though, but Sensodyne Daily Care Original is SLS free too. I get the Biotene from Boots but it is expensive.

[Slimthistime]

thanks lyre

after a very boring afternoon researching this, I think you might have nailed it! Neither dentist nor doc came up with this.

I have checked, yes, there is SLS in my toothpaste! And apparently it's not in children's toothpaste because they know it's horribly drying..?

Thank you! I will try the one you suggest. Do you still have dry mouth, I presume you do if it's med related? I am wondering how long I should allow for it to improve after changing toothpaste?

you're a gem.

[lyrebird1]

I get carried away with Google research too sometimes! I would say I do still have a dry mouth but it is bearable. I keep well hydrated and sometimes chew sugar free chewing gum. At work I sometimes use the Boots dry mouth spray for a quick fix.

It helped pretty quickly as it is moisturising, especially the mouthwash, which I use just before I leave the house. When I had to change to Corsodyl/Listerine recently because I had my wisdom teeth out I noticed a difference straight away. It took a bit of getting used to because it doesn't leave your mouth feeling so clean but I think that is because it doesn't have a minty, stinging feeling that I associate with freshness! It seems to work a lot better than the artificial saliva pastilles/sprays I had on prescription (although the Salivix ones are delicious!)

[Slimthistime]

Lyre, I didn't get carried away, just desperate, it's amazing how unwell it can make you feel. I'm glad you're managing it now.

I am really hoping this is it and I don't have some horrible illness....but I guess if my saliva production has been low for four months, it's bound to make me feel a bit rough?

Thanks again for flagging this up.

[TillyTatty]

Yes I kept getting a dry mouth, and my saliva seemed to be thinner. After looking on the internet to see what it was a symptom of and not finding anything, it suddenly dawned on me it was my Corsadyl Tooth paste which I had just started to use. Anyway I stopped using it for about a week and the dry mouth went away. When I tried using it again the dry mouth returned. I also have a problem using Oral B which causes the skin inside my mouth to peel. Hope this helps someone out there.

[thebabessavedme]

thank you sooooo much! I have been putting up with this for the last fwe weeks, actually from around the time i changed to Oral B (I didnt even know they made a toothpaste hahaha) the inside of my lips are so dry and sore I cant even make a 'kiss' noise! off to buy my old faithful colgate later.

[Candelabra75]

I have sensitivity to some toothpastes. The best one I've found is Kingfisher toothpaste - they do a mint flavour and a fennel flavour with fluoride. They also do fluoride free toothpaste so don't get the wrong one by accident. It's available in some independent chemists, on Ocado, at Holland and Barrett. I prefer the fennel as the mint is really boring tasting, it's not my favourite taste but you get used to it.

[Hovverry]

I’ve had dry mouth for three years. It’s been much better for the past six months but is still often dry and sore. These are the things I’ve discovered (no help at all from Dr.)
I’m very sensitive to artificial sweeteners. They upset my stomach so can’t use sugar free sweets or gum. Sucking ordinary mints helps my dry mouth.
I’ve suspected toothpaste for a long time so now use Kingfisher.

I took Alpha Lipoic Acid, 300mg twice daily for a long time and think it helped a lot but can’t be sure. From Nature’s Best on line.