When you tell people you’re suffering from xerostomia, they offer words of concern and comfort. Then they ask, “What’s that?” When you describe it as dry mouth, their sympathy tends to lessen, unless they’ve experienced it themselves.

Admittedly, I have never suffered from xerostomia, but I know plenty of people who have, including a very good friend. During her radiation treatments for a brain tumor, she felt miserable for so many reasons, and one of them was xerostomia. She complained of a burning sensation in her mouth and she had difficulty wearing her dentures.

At the time, there was very little that could be done for her. There just weren’t any products that truly helped. In fact, she “self-medicated” by drinking a lot of homemade milkshakes. For some reason they offered her some relief.

A product that would definitely have helped her—and I know she would have been forever grateful to the dentist who recommended it—is NeutraSal from OraPharma . It’s a prescription strength super-saturated calcium phosphate oral rinse that mimics saliva and helps to restore the pH balance of the mouth. It aids in remineralization of tooth structure and relieves oral mucosa inflammation.

Helping patients treat their xerostomia, which is often the result of medications or treatments related to another, sometimes serious, illness, is one way to be a hero in the eyes of your patients. They really will be grateful.