Dry Mouth

[Stu S.]

I had a salivary gland, one of the large ones, fail years ago. Using candy or mouthwash to coax more out of it is not the solution, as it is gone. A plastic second stage was so dry I got on the boat sounding like Loius Armstrong.

Diver's Direct advertised the Mares Proton metal regulator would reduce dry mouth and throat. I bought one and it does that by recycling the mositure. Problem solved.

 

[HBO MD]

You might want to try "OASIS" mouth spray specifically for medical syndromes of dry mouth, ( not a problem here). It's quite helpful using pre dive.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I used to do some commercial diving and often spent 4 hours breathing air from a scuba tank per day. It was completely intolerable without the following: Put one half of a sugarless, menthol cough drop under your upper lip and keep it there for the entire dive.

There may be some choking hazard, but you will learn to manage the cough lozenge and the improvement in salivation from the menthol is pretty dramatic. Incidentally, using a menthol cough drop, before or during a dive also can be a help with regard to keeping the sinus open and promoting easier equalization.

I would NEVER work without my cough drops.