I AM of an age now that if you were earwigging into my girlfriends' conversations you would hear them marvelling at those couples who have achieved the Holy Grail of living in separate abodes interspersed with precious nuggets about how anyone has managed to temper the waves of the menopause.
It's no surprise that plummeting oestrogen and progesterone hormones during menopause affects every crevice in your body and the mouth doesn't escape the effects of this.
One study has shown that 43 per cent of menopausal women experience some form of discomfort in their mouth. This can range from the super annoying burning mouth syndrome through to strange phantom bad tastes and not being able to tolerate a denture as well as before.
Oestrogen is one of the hormones that keep our soft tissues moist and just like vaginal dryness our mouths can dry up too later in life, causing considerable discomfort.
Salivary glands are controlled by hormones so when our hormone levels change not only is less saliva pumped out it changes in its quality.
The bugs living in our mouths are no dozers to this and they are quick to take advantage of this change in their environment. The candida fungus, that causes thrush, loves this new low saliva situation and readily proliferates in the drier conditions leaving their tell-tale sore, white, bumpy trails in its wake.
Changing hormones not only dry out the soft tissues in our mouths it also has the propensity to thin our cheeks, tongue and gums making them more prone to damage during our daily activities like toothbrushing and eating.
A dry mouth opens the gates for more gum disease too, as the protective effect of saliva sails away into the sunset.
So, upping the ante by developing a meticulous home cleaning routine for your teeth and gums is a no-brainer if you want to avoid excessively long teeth or gaps in your smile.
For extreme mouth dryness, you can try the Xylimelt pastilles that adhere to your gum and release soothing moisture for hours.
Menopause is a real seller, isn't it? On the upside, studies are emerging showing the benefits of HRT and phytoestrogen-rich foods in achieving a more comfortable healthy mouth.
