But if you have a dry mouth all or most of the time, it can be uncomfortable and can lead to serious health problems. Dry mouth is the condition of not having enough saliva, or spit, to keep your mouth wet. Saliva does more than keep the mouth wet. Without enough saliva you can develop tooth decay or other infections in the mouth. You also might not get the nutrients you need if you cannot chew and swallow certain foods.
Some people feel a dry mouth even if their salivary glands are working correctly.
People with certain disorders, like Alzheimer's disease or those who have suffered a stroke, may not be able to feel wetness in their mouth and may think their mouth is dry even though it is not. People get dry mouth when the glands in the mouth that make saliva are not working properly. Because of this, there might not be enough saliva to keep your mouth wet. Side effects of some medicines. More than 400 medicines can cause the salivary glands to make less saliva.