SST® for Dry Mouth
What is dry mouth?
If you have a permanently dry mouth, you are not alone. As many as one in every ten people may suffer from a dry mouth, a medically recognised condition also known as xerostomia. As well as being uncomfortable at rest, it can also affect a person's ability to eat and communicate, and can seriously impair a person's quality of life.
Saliva is the natural defender of the mouth and the teeth and so people with a reduced ability to product saliva may be at risk from accelerated tooth decay or more infections in the mouth. It is therefore very important to speak to your doctor or dentist about your dry mouth.
What causes dry mouth?
A reduction in saliva production has a number of causes. One of the most common causes is as a side effect of other medications, including those taken for depression and other central nervous system conditions, high blood pressure, allergy, cancer or overactive bladder. Symptoms may be particularly bad if you are taking a combination of drugs, or 'polypharmacy'.
Dry mouth is sometimes a symptom of a specific illness or disease. It is associated with conditions such as Sjögren's syndrome, other rheumatic diseases, cancer and diabetes.
There are also other ways in which the salivary glands may be damaged. People who have had radiotherapy to the head or neck may have difficulty producing saliva, and also patients who have had surgery to the area.
Increasing saliva flow
Saliva is important for many reasons. It starts to digest food, keeps the mouth clean by washing it, and flight infections in the mouth. Increasing the saliva flow makes the mouth more comfortable and hygienic.
SST (Saliva Supporting Therapy)
SST is a small, sugar-free pastille made up of buffered organic acids and calcium salts. The tablet is sucked and dissolves slowly in the mouth. SST is designed so that the organic acids present in the tablet act directly on the saliva glands to increase saliva production.
It is well-known that prolonged exposure to acid in the mouth can contribute to dental caries (holes in the teeth). While many saliva stimulants use acidic substances to stimulate saliva production, some of these products do not contain a buffering system. SST, however, contains a 'buffer' that allows saliva stimulation without damage to the teeth.
SST Summary
Relieves dry mouth by stimulating more saliva flow
Contains organic fruit acids, sorbitol and a calcium buffer to protect the teeth
Neutral fresh taste and long-lasting
Comes in tubs of 50 or 100 tablets
Where to get SST
SST can be given on presription by a GP or sold over the counter by pharmacies. It may also be obtained directly from Toothbrushdirect.