Baby constantly drooling: Drooling and Your Baby – HealthyChildren.org
What to Know About Excessive Drooling in Children
Written by Sonia Findlay
- What Is Sialorrhea?
- What Are the Causes of Sialorrhea?
- What Are the Symptoms of Sialorrhea?
- How Is Sialorrhea Diagnosed?
- How Is Sialorrhea Treated?
- When Should You Be Worried About Drooling?
- More
Drooling is common in children between the ages of 15 and 19 months. But after the age of 4, excessive drooling can point to an underlying condition. Sialorrhea, also known as hypersalivation, is usually present in children with neurological or anatomical abnormalities. If you’re worried your child has sialorrhea, here’s what you need to know about the causes, symptoms, and treatments.
Sialorrhea is excessive oral secretion, or drooling. Children usually produce up to 1.5 liters of saliva per day, but children with hypersalivation may produce up to 5 liters. This condition may also happen in children who produce an average amount of saliva but can’t swallow properly.
There are two types of sialorrhea:
Anterior sialorrhea. Anterior sialorrhea is what is commonly referred to as drooling. The excess saliva spills onto the child’s face and, if left unchecked, their clothes. This can cause issues with skin care and cleanliness. Because of this, they may also have issues with socializing.
Posterior sialorrhea. Posterior sialorrhea is when the saliva spills down the child’s airway instead of being swallowed. This form of hypersalivation leads to chronic lung irritation, which can cause other health issues.
Children with sialorrhea typically have a combination of anterior and posterior sialorrhea.
Sialorrhea in children is often caused by existing underlying diseases. Conditions that affect the brain can cause reduced muscle control, especially around the mouth and throat. This leads to difficulty swallowing saliva and results in excessive drooling.
Excessive oral secretions are common in children who are born with cerebral palsy, which is a condition that affects the brain’s ability to move muscles. Some studies suggest that up to 58% of children with cerebral palsy also have sialorrhea.
Other conditions that affect motor control of the mouth and throat include stroke, traumatic brain injuries, and abnormalities in brain development. The severity of the sialorrhea normally depends on the severity of the underlying disease. For example, if the brain injury does not worsen over time, the excessive drooling shouldn’t either.
Sialorrhea also happens in children with anatomical abnormalities that lead to physical difficulties swallowing. Hypersalivation causes may include:
- A large tongue
- A malformed jaw
- A malformed throat
- Orthodontic issues
- Clefts in the lip, palate, or larynx
Excessive drooling can also be caused by the child’s body producing too much saliva or mucus rather than their inability to swallow. This can happen as a result of other neurological or respiratory conditions or as a side effect of certain medications.
Hypersalivation symptoms depend on whether the saliva is being drooled onto the child’s face or spilling into their airway.
Children with anterior sialorrhea have visible drooling that is usually accompanied by wet clothing. If the drooling is severe, the child’s bed sheets may also be wet after sleeping.
Constant drooling can lead to facial rashes and the breakdown of skin around the mouth and chin. This can cause some irritation and soreness.
Children with sialorrhea may also have mild dehydration, difficulties with speech, and feeding issues as a side effect of constant drooling.
Children with posterior sialorrhea may have more serious symptoms due to chronic lung irritation and a blocked airway. Symptoms can include:
- Choking
- Coughing
- Gagging
- Vomiting
- Congestion
- Breathing difficulty
- Aspiration
Aspiration, which is breathing in non-air substances, is especially dangerous as it can lead to pneumonia.
Healthcare professionals can diagnose anterior sialorrhea by observation. Excessive drooling is an easily identifiable, visible symptom. Posterior sialorrhea diagnosis may need additional tests.
To identify posterior sialorrhea, doctors can use special equipment and procedures to examine the child’s throat as well as their swallowing and speech functions. This often involves the use of videofluoroscopy, which is a specific type of x-ray used to assess swallowing.
Sialorrhea treatments include oral medications, botox injections, surgical procedures, and oral motor training.
Oral medications. Doctors may prescribe oral medications to reduce saliva production or ease the child’s airway. The side effects of this medication may be uncomfortable or lead to other health complications. Anticholinergic medications, which are used to ease airways, usually cause dry mouth and constipation.
More serious side effects include fever and thicker secretions, which can cause further respiratory issues. Because of this, medication may only be appropriate for serious cases of hypersalivation in children.
Botox injections. Studies show that botulinum toxin, or botox, can safely treat sialorrhea in children. Doctors can reduce saliva production for around 4 months by injecting botox into the salivary glands.
Surgical procedures. There are many surgeries for the treatment of sialorrhea. Usually, they involve removing or disconnecting some salivary glands from the child’s mouth. By permanently reducing saliva production, some surgeries can curatively treat excessive drooling.
Oral motor training. Children who drool due to physical malformations should consider doing oral motor training, such as speech or swallowing therapy, if they can. This can help them learn how to swallow properly and reduce the amount of excess drool.
Mild cases of sialorrhea may not need aggressive treatment. You can manage drooling by using bibs or other cloths to absorb excess oral secretion. Additionally, you can use barrier creams around the mouth and chin to help prevent skin irritation.
Drooling often happens in young children who haven’t yet developed the proper motor control or awareness to swallow their saliva. But, by the age of four, children should be able to control their drooling habits. After this age, excessive drooling may be a sign of an underlying condition. If you’re unaware that your child has any existing conditions, you should seek additional advice from your doctor.
Excessive drooling usually doesn’t cause serious medical problems, especially if it’s anterior sialorrhea. But if sialorrhea has started to affect your child’s quality of life, it may be worthwhile to seek more advanced treatment from your doctor.
You should also keep in mind that if the onset of sialorrhea is sudden, excessive drooling may be a sign of a throat infection or that your child has swallowed an object.
In all cases, it’s important to take your child to a doctor to get the correct diagnosis and treatment.
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What to Know About Excessive Drooling in Children
Written by Sonia Findlay
- What Is Sialorrhea?
- What Are the Causes of Sialorrhea?
- What Are the Symptoms of Sialorrhea?
- How Is Sialorrhea Diagnosed?
- How Is Sialorrhea Treated?
- When Should You Be Worried About Drooling?
- More
Drooling is common in children between the ages of 15 and 19 months. But after the age of 4, excessive drooling can point to an underlying condition. Sialorrhea, also known as hypersalivation, is usually present in children with neurological or anatomical abnormalities. If you’re worried your child has sialorrhea, here’s what you need to know about the causes, symptoms, and treatments.
Sialorrhea is excessive oral secretion, or drooling. Children usually produce up to 1.5 liters of saliva per day, but children with hypersalivation may produce up to 5 liters. This condition may also happen in children who produce an average amount of saliva but can’t swallow properly.
There are two types of sialorrhea:
Anterior sialorrhea. Anterior sialorrhea is what is commonly referred to as drooling. The excess saliva spills onto the child’s face and, if left unchecked, their clothes. This can cause issues with skin care and cleanliness. Because of this, they may also have issues with socializing.
Posterior sialorrhea. Posterior sialorrhea is when the saliva spills down the child’s airway instead of being swallowed. This form of hypersalivation leads to chronic lung irritation, which can cause other health issues.
Children with sialorrhea typically have a combination of anterior and posterior sialorrhea.
Sialorrhea in children is often caused by existing underlying diseases. Conditions that affect the brain can cause reduced muscle control, especially around the mouth and throat. This leads to difficulty swallowing saliva and results in excessive drooling.
Excessive oral secretions are common in children who are born with cerebral palsy, which is a condition that affects the brain’s ability to move muscles. Some studies suggest that up to 58% of children with cerebral palsy also have sialorrhea.
Other conditions that affect motor control of the mouth and throat include stroke, traumatic brain injuries, and abnormalities in brain development. The severity of the sialorrhea normally depends on the severity of the underlying disease. For example, if the brain injury does not worsen over time, the excessive drooling shouldn’t either.
Sialorrhea also happens in children with anatomical abnormalities that lead to physical difficulties swallowing. Hypersalivation causes may include:
- A large tongue
- A malformed jaw
- A malformed throat
- Orthodontic issues
- Clefts in the lip, palate, or larynx
Excessive drooling can also be caused by the child’s body producing too much saliva or mucus rather than their inability to swallow. This can happen as a result of other neurological or respiratory conditions or as a side effect of certain medications.
Hypersalivation symptoms depend on whether the saliva is being drooled onto the child’s face or spilling into their airway.
Children with anterior sialorrhea have visible drooling that is usually accompanied by wet clothing. If the drooling is severe, the child’s bed sheets may also be wet after sleeping.
Constant drooling can lead to facial rashes and the breakdown of skin around the mouth and chin. This can cause some irritation and soreness.
Children with sialorrhea may also have mild dehydration, difficulties with speech, and feeding issues as a side effect of constant drooling.
Children with posterior sialorrhea may have more serious symptoms due to chronic lung irritation and a blocked airway. Symptoms can include:
- Choking
- Coughing
- Gagging
- Vomiting
- Congestion
- Breathing difficulty
- Aspiration
Aspiration, which is breathing in non-air substances, is especially dangerous as it can lead to pneumonia.
Healthcare professionals can diagnose anterior sialorrhea by observation. Excessive drooling is an easily identifiable, visible symptom. Posterior sialorrhea diagnosis may need additional tests.
To identify posterior sialorrhea, doctors can use special equipment and procedures to examine the child’s throat as well as their swallowing and speech functions. This often involves the use of videofluoroscopy, which is a specific type of x-ray used to assess swallowing.
Sialorrhea treatments include oral medications, botox injections, surgical procedures, and oral motor training.
Oral medications. Doctors may prescribe oral medications to reduce saliva production or ease the child’s airway. The side effects of this medication may be uncomfortable or lead to other health complications. Anticholinergic medications, which are used to ease airways, usually cause dry mouth and constipation.
More serious side effects include fever and thicker secretions, which can cause further respiratory issues. Because of this, medication may only be appropriate for serious cases of hypersalivation in children.
Botox injections. Studies show that botulinum toxin, or botox, can safely treat sialorrhea in children. Doctors can reduce saliva production for around 4 months by injecting botox into the salivary glands.
Surgical procedures. There are many surgeries for the treatment of sialorrhea. Usually, they involve removing or disconnecting some salivary glands from the child’s mouth. By permanently reducing saliva production, some surgeries can curatively treat excessive drooling.
Oral motor training. Children who drool due to physical malformations should consider doing oral motor training, such as speech or swallowing therapy, if they can. This can help them learn how to swallow properly and reduce the amount of excess drool.
Mild cases of sialorrhea may not need aggressive treatment. You can manage drooling by using bibs or other cloths to absorb excess oral secretion. Additionally, you can use barrier creams around the mouth and chin to help prevent skin irritation.
Drooling often happens in young children who haven’t yet developed the proper motor control or awareness to swallow their saliva. But, by the age of four, children should be able to control their drooling habits. After this age, excessive drooling may be a sign of an underlying condition. If you’re unaware that your child has any existing conditions, you should seek additional advice from your doctor.
Excessive drooling usually doesn’t cause serious medical problems, especially if it’s anterior sialorrhea. But if sialorrhea has started to affect your child’s quality of life, it may be worthwhile to seek more advanced treatment from your doctor.
You should also keep in mind that if the onset of sialorrhea is sudden, excessive drooling may be a sign of a throat infection or that your child has swallowed an object.
In all cases, it’s important to take your child to a doctor to get the correct diagnosis and treatment.
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During the “baby boom” period, I often have to listen to young mothers who enthusiastically talk about their beloved children. An exciting topic, according to my observation, is the concern of parents about the first teeth of a child: what time should they erupt, how to help the baby during this period and how many teeth should erupt in the end? Let’s figure it out together: The formation of a milk bite is of great importance, since the further development of the entire maxillofacial system depends on it. Therefore, maintaining a healthy condition of milk teeth is an important task. However, we will talk about this in detail in the next article. So, milk bite consists of twenty teeth. Usually, by 6-8 months of a child’s life, the central incisors of the lower jaw (1 or 2 teeth) erupt. They are followed by the central incisors of the mandible. At 8-12 months, lateral incisors appear first on the lower, then on the upper jaw. The first molars usually appear by 12-16 months, at 16-20 months – fangs, and, finally, by 20-30 months – the last, second molars. Some parents are concerned about the asymmetric placement of baby teeth. However, this is not considered a disease. The fact is that, usually, after eruption of 16 teeth, as a result of chewing food, milk teeth “grind” and fall into place. It is believed that the process of teething is difficult for both the baby and the parents: The child becomes capricious, often cries, “drools”, pulls everything that is tucked under the arm into his mouth, he has a fever and problems with the intestines … Here it is worth making a few digressions: Firstly: from the age of four months, children have increased salinity, i.e. salivation. It seems to parents that the first long-awaited tooth is about to erupt, but a month or two passes, and nothing happens. Do not panic: often the interval between the start of active work of the salivary glands and the appearance of the first teeth is two to three months. Secondly: the baby puts everything in his mouth not only because he is teething, but also because in certain months of his life tasting various objects for taste and hardness is one of the ways of learning about the world around him. If the gums are swollen and reddened, and the child is naughty, use special anesthetic gels for children (for many mothers they have become a real real salvation) and buy a special rubber ring for gum massage for the baby. It can be whole, or filled with cool water, which has an additional calming effect. And thirdly, it used to be believed that due to teething, babies have problems with the intestines, as well as a rise in temperature. But modern scientists have come to the conclusion that these problems are not directly related to the first teeth: just during teething, the child’s general immunity decreases, and he becomes more susceptible to various bacteria and infections. Therefore, having discovered such signs, it is better to immediately consult a pediatrician to exclude the possibility of developing infectious diseases. Finally, not all families experience the first teething of a baby as a nightmare. Some children tolerate these changes quite calmly and do not cause much concern to parents. If your baby is still very unwell and has difficulty sleeping due to pain, talk to your doctor about an over-the-counter pain reliever made specifically for babies, and check with your doctor about dosage. Now let’s talk about a problem that a close friend of mine faced recently: her son didn’t have a single tooth by 12 months. Naturally, the son was taken to a pediatric dentist. The dentist issued a sacramental phrase: “Have you ever seen children who never erupted a single tooth? Here I am, no. Go home and wait.” ))) Now the child is almost three years old, all the set teeth are in place, and mom really shouldn’t have worried. But, since the doctor apparently believed that brevity is the sister of talent, I will try to expand on this topic. In the world, of course, there are cases of complete absence of teeth (in professional language – adentia), but they are extremely (!) Rare. But cases of later eruption have become more frequent. (There are a lot of reasons – from poor ecology, lack of vitamins and genetic heredity, to an elementary “personal” program laid down by nature) By the way, in such cases they say about late erupted teeth: they will grow later – they will last longer. ))) Also, cases of partial absence of teeth and their rudiments have become more frequent, which may be associated with a change in nutrition: human food has become softer, it no longer needs to be chewed so hard, and little-used teeth simply do not grow. Most often these are the lateral upper incisors, the second upper or lower premolars. To confirm the absence of the germ, it is necessary to take a panoramic x-ray (orthopantogram) when the baby is about 7 years old, especially if relatives or parents already had similar features. Early diagnosis will help find a solution to the problem: it can be a bridge prosthesis or implantation, which is carried out at a more mature age, when the maxillofacial skeleton is sufficiently formed. In any case, if you are worried that the baby has not yet erupted its first tooth, dentists advise you to wait until 1.5 – 2 years, and then take it to a specialist, having previously made an orthopantogram. Do not forget that your child is a bright individual with his own development program, so do not panic if he has his own pace of life, different from others. The main thing is to let him know that he is special, and not dryly “not like everyone else.” And then he will smile. Not only to show his first teeth, but also because he is truly happy. |
Reasons why a child worries parents
10.06.2022
The baby changes from week to week. However, sometimes new changes in a child’s behavior are worrisome, especially when the child is crying, snoring, or drooling heavily. Although they are rarely a precursor to symptoms, sometimes they cannot be ruled out.
What to do if the baby cries, snores, screams in the bath, makes strange sounds puts hands in ‘s mouth and drools a lot – what behavior might bother an infant? These are the most common questions that concern young mothers.
The child cries when bathing
It seems quite likely that the reason for crying and not wanting to bathe is too hot water. So it is worth immersing the child in slightly cooler water, with a temperature of about 36 ° C. This will also help keep the bathroom warm.
Sometimes children feel bad when they are immersed in water too quickly. Crying can be triggered by sudden changes in body position and temperature. Some babies just don’t like wet contact. The solution may be to soak the child wrapped in a diaper and only after immersion unroll it, but leave it in the water.
Perhaps if you pour more water, your child will be comfortable. However, you need to be careful, because then the child is more difficult to control, especially if he fidgets. An inflatable bath ring can also be useful. The child is almost completely immersed in water, only the head sticks out of the water (you need to hold it with one hand). The baby leans on the walls of the tub with its back , bottom and legs.
Wheezing and snoring baby
If your baby snores and wheezes outside of sleep, he may have an infection. Airway inflammation causes edema tissues. They become loose and can make it difficult to breathe freely. To be sure, take the child’s temperature.
Sometimes the air in a child’s bedroom is too dry. Then you can hang a container of water in the room and pour salt water or saline solution on the child. However, if snoring is present constantly, during wakefulness and sleep, especially in the supine position , and the child is healthy, laryngeal weakness is likely to be the cause. The child gets the impression that each breath is an effort for him. The narrowing of the larynx, caused by the weakness of its cartilage and ligamentous apparatus, is to blame.
During inhalation, the flaccid cartilage of the larynx is slightly destroyed, narrowing it, making it difficult to inhale. This condition usually goes away with age. If your child is developing correctly and gaining weight well, there is nothing left but to wait until the larynx matures. This usually happens within a few months.
Baby drooling
If your baby puts his hands in mouth and drools, it’s worth checking the gums. Just put on a disposable glove or wash your hands thoroughly and touch your baby’s gums. They got lost? If so, your baby may start teething teeth .
If the gums do not bother, the salivation is probably caused by a surge in the maturation of the digestive system, namely the salivary glands. It remains to wait until their work will improve. After 2-3 weeks, salivation will become a little less abundant.
Cleaning the ears with cotton swabs
Do not insert cotton swabs into the ear . Thus, it is possible not only to cut the epithelium, increase the production of earwax, but also damage the structures located there. Earwax is needed to protect the ear canal and get rid of debris from the ear . If your child has earwax, it is enough to rinse the auricle and the visible entrance to the ear canal. It is also worth paying attention to the area behind the nasal concha, because children often accumulate food debris there.
Spots on the child’s neck
If you are worried about visible spots on the neck of the child, then do not panic. The spots will not fade, but will fade a little and be covered with hair. In the future, they won’t be visible at all.
These are hemangiomas, that is, foci of dilated small blood vessels . They become more noticeable when the child is exercising or is exposed to high temperatures, because then the vessels dilate and more blood enters them. They turn pale from the cold and do not pose a threat to the health of the child.
Finger in child’s mouth
Sticking thumb in mouth is usually due to fatigue, need for closeness or anxiety. You must memorize the circumstances in which the finger hits mouth baby. If this is the effect of overwork, it’s time to be quiet with the baby and take a nap. Conversely, if it happens when your baby is restless, crying, or seems tense, cuddling, carrying, rocking, or relaxing stimuli and sensations may help.