Xerostomia is the medical term for a dry mouth due to a lack of
saliva. Xerostomia is sometimes colloquially called pasties or
cottonmouth, the latter especially when occurring as a side
effect, primarily after smoking marijuana or during a hangover.
Xerostomia can cause difficulty in speech and eating. It also
leads to halitosis and a dramatic rise in the number of
cavities, as the protective effect of saliva is no longer
present, and can make the mucosa of the mouth more vulnerable to
infection. It may be a sign of an underlying disease, such as
Sjögren's syndrome, poorly controlled diabetes, or Eaton-Lambert
syndrome, but this is not always so. Other causes of
insufficient saliva include side effects of drugs, medications,
or alcohol, trauma to the salivary glands or their ducts or
nerves, dehydration, excessive mouth breathing, or previous
radiation therapy. Playing or exercising a long time outside on
a hot day will often cause your saliva glands to simply dry up
as your bodily fluids are concentrated el