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NOTE: Opinions and advice provided on this website are based on the personal experience of the author, Stacy Quarty. Ms. Quarty in no way claims to be a professional source of medical, psychological or statistical information.

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Q. I am currently 10 weeks pregnant. Throughout my pregnancy I have experienced cotton mouth despite consuming a large amount of water. For the last two weeks I have also experienced a very foul taste at the back of my mouth that doesn't appear to be brought on by changes in food or drink. I have heard that prenatal vitamins can have this effect, but I have been taking them since the beginning and only just started having this horrible taste. I've tried drinking more water, brushing more and using mouth wash. I am now chewing mint gum more often, but would prefer not to. Any idea what may be causing this? Thank you.
-Teresa, Texas

A. The foul taste in your mouth is probably caused by your dry (cotton) mouth. Less saliva can cause certain stinky bacteria to become more active. Unfortunately, mouthwash, toothpaste and gum don't do much to control these bacteria. Your best bet is to try keeping your mouth as moist as possible.

Drinking a lot of water helps. Also sucking on hard candies or lozenges can keep your mouth moist. I just discovered "Preggie Pops." I haven't personally tried these lollipops, but they are getting terrific reviews for helping with dry mouth morning sickness. See: preggiepop.com for more information.

The only drawback to candies is that most accelerate plaque growth and tooth decay, which can be more prevalent in pregnancy. Pregnant women have to be very conscientious about dental hygiene, so you should brush lightly several times a day.