I've been struggling a lot with dry eyes and dry mouth.
I use polygel eye gel for my eyes - an optometrist put me on to it ages ago. It doesn't fix it, but it does make it bearable, and I've never found anything any better.
For my mouth, I had been chewing my way through endless sugar-free gum, because I'd read somewhere that stimulates saliva production. It helped a little, but not all that much.
Although my mouth was getting sore a lot of the time, I treated this just as a nuisance, rather than something serious.
Then I read a post about dry mouth by Dr Donald Thomas. (The rheumatologist who wrote The Lupus Encyclopaedia.) Dry mouth can cause all kinds of dental problems, including loss of teeth. It's actually a serious problem.
I'm kind of attached to my teeth (well not the wisdom teeth, we parted company on unfriendly terms a while ago.) So, I've started taking my mouth a little more seriously.
I bought a moisturising toothpaste and mouth wash. I was a bit concerned before I used them, because I've been using "sensitive" toothpaste for years because my teeth hurt. It was with great pleasure I discovered the moisturising toothpaste also helped with the pain in my teeth.
On Monday, I have my rheumatologist appointment. On top of my list now is my dry mouth and dry eye issues.
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