Biotene Gel - Help!!!

Things have been going swimmingly for me, but now ..... apparently the viscosity of Biotene Gel has been changed and it is nearly runny as water.

This stuff worked all night long for me for many years, but the new formula hardly helps for an hour.

Is there a competitive product with a thick viscosity?

(This is for dry mouth relief when mouthbreathing in a FFM.)

I wish there was. I used to use Biotene Gel now nothing seems to work. The saddest thing is they didn't lower the price at all!

The company that made the original Biotene was Laclede. It was bought by GlaxoSmithKline and that's when the formula changed completely. So far I've found that the Rite-Aid house brand of the mouth rinse still has the protective enzymes, but I haven't found an equivalent for the toothpaste or the gel.

VVV, if you type Biotene in the search box you'll find some other threads where this was discussed and people made some alternative suggestions.

Somebody this month recommended PreviDent 5000 toothpaste which has a good dose of fluoride in it - it's supposed to suppress bacteria overnight. I haven't tried it but I did look online and it appears to require a prescription from your dentist or a healthcare provider. I think it was DollerBill who recommended it, maybe Chunkyfrog too. I like LIsterine mouthwash with eucalyptus oil (and the Costco version, which is super cheap and just as effective). As for gels etc, I'd sure like to have an answer to that - I'm also an FFM user.

Somebody this month recommended PreviDent 5000 toothpaste which has a good dose of fluoride in it - it's supposed to suppress bacteria overnight. I haven't tried it but I did look online and it appears to require a prescription from your dentist or a healthcare provider. I think it was DollerBill who recommended it, maybe Chunkyfrog too. I like LIsterine mouthwash with eucalyptus oil (and the Costco version, which is super cheap and just as effective)

I know how to get my mouth and teeth clean and free of food particles and bacteria before I go to bed. You just need floss, a generic toothpaste and a Sonicare tootbrush. If you get all the food particles out of your mouth, bacteria will not grow - no special products are needed. Added enzymes are unnecessary if your teeth and mouth are truly clean.

I need a mouth gel to relieve dry mouth after I go to bed and have a period of mouthbreathing.

I found this glycerin based product online at Walgreen's. Anybody use this one? Is it thick and longlasting? --- http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/orajel ... 38-product

My husband is having a tough time of it. He had a neck injury, and the Nortyptiline he takes for pain at night so he can sleep dries his mouth terribly. He had a rotten dental check up for the first time in years, and he's pretty careful about brushing, flossing, and all the other hygiene steps his hygienist has him do.

Since I read on here about the change in Biotene formula I sent him to Rite Aid for the generic brand. He still wakes with a pretty dry mouth, though. Would drinking extra fluid during the day help at all?

Would drinking extra fluid during the day help at all?

I have read on the internet it will, so it must be true.

What I understand, the body needs a certain amount of water. If it gets more than this, it just excretes it as urine or sweat. Given your husband's situation, I would err on the "more" side. If not excessive, I doubt it will hurt.

I also notice my mouth seems to be drier when I eat meals out (too much salt), but that is just a casual observation.

In the meantime, my wife found a good deal on Orajel Dry Mouth Relief Gel, Sugar Free 1.5 oz (42 g) and is ordering two tubes for trial. Reviews say it lasts all night. It is 18% glycerin so it should be thick (hopefully).

Jan, I could not find the Rite Aid product on their website.

I will report back on the Orajel trial.

What about dry mouth only once a week or so? Usually I have plenty of saliva , in fact 2 or 3 times per week I wake with drool in the mask after sleeping on my left side.

OboeVet wrote:What about dry mouth only once a week or so? Usually I have plenty of saliva , in fact 2 or 3 times per week I wake with drool in the mask after sleeping on my left side.

Honestly I'd be thankful and have a towel handy. Once a week might be something you ate or drank during the day. Start making mental notes of what you've had during the day and see of there's a pattern.

Dry mouth is a pain. For me, it inflames everything in the back of my throat. I've tried new formula Biotene rinse; worked for about 2 hours. Walgreens brand rinse; works for a little while longer. Just ordered the Oragel stuff posted in this thread. It has great reviews for all night relief.

It seems that when my mouth dries out, my pressure really goes up. I've noticed when I wake up and my mouth is bone dry and compare that to my data; my pressures are higher; by 2-3cm.

I like the biotene spray

I've seen this discussion before but wasn't at a point where I was ready to add a product for regular use. Think I'm about ready. I was wondering if the product on swabs that they used in hospitals long ago for patients who couldn't have water were formulated similar to the products being discussed. Seems I remember glycerin being in them. Now that I'm using the Tap Pap I'm finding after a few hours my upper lip is dried out and stuck to the mouthpiece, and the inside of my upper lip has changed to a harder crinkly texture. Will be watching to see what users are saying as well as reading recent threads.

Janknitz wrote:My husband is having a tough time of it. He had a neck injury, and the Nortyptiline he takes for pain at night so he can sleep dries his mouth terribly. He had a rotten dental check up for the first time in years, and he's pretty careful about brushing, flossing, and all the other hygiene steps his hygienist has him do.

VVV was dismissive about this, but salivary enzymes do play a role in dental health, which is part of the reason why dry mouth can lead to dental problems even when oral hygiene is excellent. This could be relevant to your husband's situation.

I just saw this evening where someone on the oral cancer support forum referred to a line of dry mouth products called Bioxtra. Here's the website: http://www.bioxtra.ca/index.html

They make a daytime spray gel and an overnight gel as well as toothpaste and mouth rinse. It looks like most of these products contain the protective enzymes that were removed from the Biotene products when GSK took over the product line.

I spotted some of the Bioxtra products on Amazon and the prices are not higher than the former Biotene products. I'm going to see if I can order the samples via the Bioxtra website. Let me know if you decide to try them too.

Kaisgram - I'm going to see if I can order the samples via the Bioxtra website.

Just sent an email request so I will keep folks posted. As an FYI, the direct email link doesn't work so I cut and pasted the address into Outlook so I could send one directly. Hopefully, that doesn't throw them off.

49er

Thanks kaisagram, that's a good tip. I just sent away for a free sample but forgot to mention I heard about it on CPAPtalk. Maybe others could add that to their free sample emails or phone calls. They should be aware there's a BIG market here Maybe members could get a discount. Also, I had to do a cut and paste of the email address.

OboeVet wrote:What about dry mouth only once a week or so? Usually I have plenty of saliva , in fact 2 or 3 times per week I wake with drool in the mask after sleeping on my left side.

Or maybe you dreamed about donuts.
Crullers, mmmmm. (drool)