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    Dryness of Mouth, (Xerostomia) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Dryness of Mouth, (Xerostomia) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Dryness of Mouth, (Xerostomia) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Ebook121 pages54 minutes

    Dryness of Mouth, (Xerostomia) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

    By Kenneth Kee

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    About this ebook

    This book describes Dry Mouth (Xerostomia), Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

    Recently I saw a patient who complained of dryness of the mouth all the time.
    I told him that was because he was breathing through his mouth.
    He should be always breathing through his nose.

    Dry mouth also termed xerostomia is a medical disorder in which the mouth is abnormally dry.

    It happens when salivary glands in the mouth do not produce sufficient saliva.

    This disorder produces a parched, or dry, feeling in the mouth.

    It can also produce other symptoms, such as bad breath, a dry throat, and cracked lips.

    Saliva, or spit, is produced by the salivary glands and is very central component for a healthy mouth.

    It moisturizes the mouth and washes away food particles from the teeth and gums, and helps people with swallowing.

    Also, the saliva has minerals such as calcium and phosphate that help maintain the teeth strength and battle tooth decay.

    Saliva contains such antibacterial agents as secretory IgA, lactoferrin, lysozyme and peroxidase that help to prevent infection by regulating the bacteria and fungi in the mouth.

    When the patient does not make sufficient saliva, the mouth becomes dry and uncomfortable.

    Dry mouth is not a serious medical disorder on its own.

    It is occasionally a symptom of another underlying medical disorder that requires treatment.

    It can also cause complications like tooth decay.

    Patients are susceptible to more frequent incidence of dental caries, periodontal disease, oral infections (particularly candidiasis) and intolerance of dentures.

    Dry mouth often results from dehydration.

    Disorders that cause dehydration, such as fever, excessive sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, blood loss, and burns can produce dry mouth.

    Some disorders, such as diabetes, can also affect the saliva production and produce dry mouth.

    Surgical removal of the salivary glands affects the production of saliva inducing dry mouth.

    Dry mouth can be a consequence of certain health disorders, such as the autoimmune disease Sjogren's syndrome or HIV/AIDS.

    Stroke and Alzheimer's disease may provide a perception of dry mouth, even though the salivary glands are working normally.

    Some of these disorders are:
    1. Diabetes
    2. Oral thrush (yeast infection in the mouth)
    3. Alzheimer’s disease
    4. Cystic fibrosis
    5. HIV and AIDS
    6. Sjogren’s syndrome
    7. Anemia
    8. Rheumatoid arthritis
    9. Mumps

    More than 400 medicines including over-the-counter drugs produce dry mouth as a side effect.

    The more likely forms of medicines to cause dry mouth are some of the drugs used to treat:
    1. Depression,
    2. Nerve pain
    3. Anxiety
    4. Some antihistamines, decongestants,
    5. Muscle relaxants and
    6. Pain medicines.

    Dry mouth is a frequent side effect of many prescription and nonprescription drugs, such as drugs used to treat obesity, acne, epilepsy, hypertension (diuretics, ACE inhibitors), diarrhea, nausea, psychotic disorders, urinary incontinence, asthma (certain bronchodilators), and Parkinson's disease.

    The doctor or dentist will review the medical history and ask about any medicines the patient take.

    He or she may also request blood tests or a test that measures how much saliva the patient produce.

    Sialometry:

    The normal stimulated salivary flow rate is normally between 1.5 to -2.0 mL/min, while the un-stimulated flow rate varies from 0.3 to 0.4 mL/min.

    A diagnosis of hyposalivation is made if stimulated salivary flow is less than 0.5 to 0.7 mL/min or un-stimulated flow of under 0.1 mL/min.

    Dry mouth is normally a temporary and treatable disorder.

    The patient must keep hydrated and learn to breathe through the nose, not the mouth.

    TABLE OF CONTENT
    Introduction
    Chapter 1 Dry Mouth
    Chapter 2 Causes
    Chapter 3 Sy

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKenneth Kee
    Release dateOct 7, 2020
    ISBN9780463020456
    Dryness of Mouth, (Xerostomia) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Author

    Kenneth Kee

    Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

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      Book preview

      Dryness of Mouth, (Xerostomia) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions - Kenneth Kee

      Dryness of Mouth,

      (Xerostomia)

      A

      Simple

      Guide

      To

      The Condition,

      Diagnosis,

      Treatment

      And

      Related Conditions

      By

      Dr Kenneth Kee

      M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

      Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

      Copyright Kenneth Kee 2020 Smashwords Edition

      Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

      Dedication

      This book is dedicated

      To my wife Dorothy

      And my children

      Carolyn, Grace

      And Kelvin

      This book describes Dry Mouth (Xerostomia), Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

      (What You Need to Treat Dry Mouth)

      This e-Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

      If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

      Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Introduction

      I have been writing medical articles for my blog: http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

      My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

      Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

      I then wrote an autobiography account of my journey as a medical student to family doctor on my other blog: http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

      This autobiography account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

      From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 eBooks.

      Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

      For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

      The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

      The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

      Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

      As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

      My diagnosis and treatment capability has improved tremendously from my continued education.

      Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

      I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

      I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

      I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

      Chapter 1

      Dry mouth

      Recently I saw a patient who complained of dryness of the mouth all the time.

      I told him that was because he was breathing through his mouth.

      He should be always breathing through his nose.

      What is Dry mouth?

      Dry mouth also termed xerostomia is a medical disorder in which the mouth is abnormally dry.

      It happens when salivary glands in the mouth do not produce sufficient saliva.

      This disorder produces a parched, or dry, feeling in the mouth.

      It can also produce other symptoms, such as bad breath, a dry throat, and cracked lips.

      Saliva is an essential part of the process of digestion.

      It helps to moisten the mouth and its enzymes break down the food that is consumed.

      The saliva also functions as a major defense mechanism to help the body sustain good dental health, defending the mouth against gum disease and tooth decay.

      Saliva, or spit, is produced by the salivary glands and is very central component for a healthy mouth.

      It moisturizes the mouth and washes away food particles from the teeth and gums, and helps people with swallowing.

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