Dry mouth is a frequent complaint from patients with sleep apnea that is untreated, treated with oral appliances or CPAP. There is a prescription product called Gelclaire that is an oral sodium hyaluronate topical gel that is supplied in small packets that are meant to be diluted with water to form a rinse for treating oral mucositis or mouth sores associated with chemotherapy and/or readiation treatments. For dry mouth the oral form is excellent when used full strength to cover all intraoral surfaces of the mouth. I also have had CPAP patients report using it on nasal membranes as well. Used full strength each packet can be spread out over several nights to reduce costs.
This is an off label use of the product but has been fantastic for many patients suffering from dry mouth problems. The only complaints I have had is that it is relatively expensive but worth the cost. The second complaint is that it has a mild black licorice or anise flavor.
Obstructive sleep apnea affects around 20 million Americans and can lead to hypertension, heart attack, stroke, depression, muscle pain, fibromyalgia, morning headaches, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
-
Patient describes 5 years of sleep apnea treatment with oral appliance. He initially used the CPAP machine but found it made him uncomfortab...
-
Lake Forest Sleep Apnea Treatment: Sleep Apnea patient describes how wearing a sleep apnea appliance for the last 6-7 years has drastic...
-
Mike describes how he was diagnosed with sleep apnea. He was less than thrilled with diagnosis and definitely did not want CPAP. He travels...