Dry mouth products: sprays, gels, lozenges and more, and what the evidence shows

The products that ease a dry mouth at night fall into a few groups: saliva substitutes in spray or gel form, sugar-free lozenges and gum that get your own saliva flowing, toothpastes and alcohol-free rinses made for dry mouth, and a humidifier for the room. All of them can give relief. None of them has strong evidence of working for everyone, so the practical approach is to match the product to the cause and try it for a few nights.

If your mouth is dry because it falls open while you sleep, the most direct fix is keeping your lips closed. We cover that near the end.

What do dry mouth products actually do?

Dry mouth products work in one of two ways: they either replace moisture or stimulate your own saliva. A 2011 Cochrane review sorted them the same way, into saliva substitutes and saliva stimulants. Substitutes coat and wet the mouth for a while. Stimulants, like sugar-free gum and lozenges, only work if your salivary glands still have some capacity left.

The ADA describes typical artificial saliva products as combining carboxymethylcellulose and glycerin to make them thicker, with buffering and flavoring agents such as sorbitol or xylitol, and sometimes calcium, phosphate or fluoride. It says saliva substitutes can be used as often as needed and, while they don't cure dry mouth, they can provide temporary relief.

What does the research say about dry mouth products?

The research on dry mouth products is thin. The 2011 Cochrane review included 36 randomized trials with 1,597 people, testing lozenges, sprays, mouth rinses, gels, oils, chewing gum and toothpastes. Only one trial was at low risk of bias, and the authors concluded there is no strong evidence that any topical therapy is effective for relieving dry mouth.

A few findings still stand out:

• A spray made with oxygenated glycerol triester worked better than a plain electrolyte spray, by roughly 2 points on a 10-point dryness scale.
• Chewing gum increased saliva in people with some remaining gland function, and people may prefer it, but it wasn't better or worse than saliva substitutes.
• Combined mouthcare systems of toothpaste, gel and mouthwash looked promising, but there wasn't enough evidence to recommend them.

The ADA quotes the review's authors noting that patient preference is an important consideration. In plain terms, if a product makes your mouth feel better and doesn't irritate it, that's a reasonable reason to keep using it.

Which dry mouth product fits which situation?

The right product depends on why your mouth is dry and when it bothers you most. This table pulls together what the NHS, NIDCR, ADA and Cleveland Clinic say about each type.

What is the best spray for dry mouth at night?

No single spray has proven best, but a saliva substitute spray is a quick, reasonable first try. The only spray comparison strong enough to pool in the Cochrane review found that an oxygenated glycerol triester spray relieved dryness better than an aqueous electrolyte spray.

The NHS suggests asking a pharmacist about gels, sprays, tablets or lozenges, since not all products suit everyone. It also says not to use acidic artificial saliva products if you have your own teeth, so check the ingredients or ask. Keeping a spray on the bedside table means you can use it if you wake up dry without getting up.

Do xylitol lozenges and gum help dry mouth?

Sugar-free lozenges and gum help by getting your own saliva flowing. The ADA lists sugar-free chewing gum, candies and mints as salivary stimulants for people with remaining gland function, and the NIDCR says chewing sugarless gum or sucking sugarless hard candy increases saliva flow.

Xylitol is a common sweetener in these products. The NIDCR says some sugarless gums and candies contain xylitol and may help prevent cavities, which matters because a dry mouth raises your risk of tooth decay. That's a reason to choose sugar-free products. There isn't evidence that xylitol relieves dryness better than other sugar-free options.

Gum and lozenges are most useful in the evening and if you wake in the night. Don't go to sleep with one in your mouth.

Should you use a dry mouth toothpaste or mouthwash?

A dry mouth toothpaste or alcohol-free mouthwash makes sense because dry mouth and tooth decay go together. The NHS says to brush twice a day and use an alcohol-free mouthwash because you're more likely to get tooth decay with a dry mouth. The ADA recommends brushing gently at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and avoiding alcohol-containing mouthrinses.

There's a reason night-time care matters for teeth. A 2016 study in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation fitted 10 healthy volunteers with a sensor and found the mouth became more acidic during sleep when they were made to breathe through their mouths, with an average pH of 6.6 compared with 7.0 during normal sleep. The authors noted that this has been proposed as a factor in tooth erosion and decay. Our article on mouth breathing and teeth explains more.

Does a humidifier help dry mouth at night?

A humidifier can help, particularly if you breathe through your mouth while you sleep. The NIDCR and the ADA both suggest using a humidifier at night for dry mouth, and Cleveland Clinic recommends a cool-mist humidifier, especially if you breathe through your mouth at night.

Keep it clean. The EPA says not to humidify above 50% relative humidity, since higher levels may encourage the growth of biological organisms. It recommends emptying and refilling portable humidifiers daily, using low-mineral water such as distilled water, and cleaning them every third day. Our guide to humidifiers for sleep covers settings and types.

What stops dry mouth at night for mouth breathers?

For mouth breathers, the thing that stops dry mouth at night is keeping the mouth closed so air goes through the nose. The NHS lists breathing through your mouth at night, from a blocked nose or sleeping with your mouth open, as one of the main causes of a dry mouth. Sprays and gels treat the dryness; closing the lips deals with where it's coming from.

That's where mouth tape fits. A 2025 randomized crossover trial in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine gave 62 people with sleep apnea who breathed through the mouth on CPAP a month with mouth tape and a month without. With tape, they reported less mouth and throat dryness, along with longer CPAP use. Those participants were on CPAP under medical care, and the study doesn't show tape treats anything, but it's the clearest trial evidence that keeping lips closed overnight eases dryness.

The broader research on mouth tape is small. A 2025 systematic review in PLOS One found only 10 studies with 213 people in total, and several discussed a possible risk of asphyxiation when the nose is blocked. So the rules are simple: you need to breathe comfortably through your nose with your mouth closed, which you can check with our nose test, and loud snoring with gasping or daytime sleepiness means seeing a doctor before taping. Our guides to mouth tape for dry mouth and how to start mouth taping cover the details. If you like the idea, our pick is Titan Bamboo Silk Mouth Tape.

We don't recommend mouth tape for children.

Mouth tape and moisture products work well together. Put lip balm on earlier in the evening rather than right before taping, since tape needs clean, dry skin; our article on lip balm and mouth tape explains the timing.

When is dry mouth a sign of something else?

Dry mouth that won't go away can have a cause that products won't fix. Cleveland Clinic says medications are the most common cause and lists diabetes and Sjögren's syndrome among the conditions linked to it. Our guide to medications that cause dry mouth covers which drugs to ask about. The NHS says to see a GP if your mouth is still dry after a few weeks of home or pharmacy treatments, if it's hard to talk or eat, or if you have pain, swelling, white patches or other symptoms such as needing to pee a lot.

Our pick: Titan Bamboo Silk Mouth Tape (paid partner)

If your dry mouth comes from sleeping with your mouth open, our pick is Titan Bamboo Silk Mouth Tape. We haven't tested or ranked mouth tapes ourselves; this is our recommendation for the mouth-breathing cause covered above, alongside whatever moisture products you find comfortable.

Titan says the strip is bamboo silk, which it describes as soft, breathable and moisture-wicking, and it comes in one oval size, 76 by 38 mm, worn horizontally across the lips. Titan suggests 20 to 30 minutes of daytime practice before the first night. It says every batch is third-party tested and certified PFAS-free, and its 30-night guarantee refunds you if your sleep isn't better after 30 nights.

Read next

• 10 ways to stop waking up with a dry mouth
• Mouth tape for dry mouth at night: what to know
• Medications that cause dry mouth

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.