Drooling is something that often occurs in children or when you are sleeping. It is the action of saliva leaking out of your mouth instead of being swallowed. While it is something that a lot of people go through, it is not supposed to happen when you are awake or as an adult. If you or a loved one has a problem with drooling it could hint at a more serious problem. Below are some drooling treatments that you can look into to help your loved one.
Causes
The first thing we should know about drooling is its causes. While the most common cause is odd sleeping positions that cause the saliva to leak, there may be other serious underlying causes. Hypersalivation could be a cause, this is when there is an excess production of saliva. It makes swallowing difficult as it is produced. Another side effect could come from taking certain medications which lead to hypersalivation. Particularly medication used to treat psychiatric disorders like Alzheimer’s. Other health issues such as a stroke or Parkinson’s disease could cause a weakening of the muscles in the mouth. Bell’s palsy also causes drooling as it weakens facial muscles.
A Signal to Other Illnesses
Drooling could also be a symptom of some other illness. Drooling can be a symptom of heartburn, as an occurrence called “waterbrash” happens when your mouth suddenly fills with saliva. Drooling can also be a symptom of nasal congestion. Difficulty breathing through your nose forces you to use your mouth to breathe instead. However, this is easily fixed once finding the root cause of the congested airway. Lastly is snoring. Snoring is caused by several reasons from being overweight to sleep apnea may increase the propensity to drool especially when sleeping.
Treatments
Now that we know all the causes and what drooling can be a symptom of, it can narrow down the treatments we need to take. There are several ways to go about curing or reducing drooling. Botox injections are one way to do so. An injection is administered to the salivary glands to prohibit an excessive production of drool. Attending physical therapy to strengthen the muscles in the mouth and throat is also another way to stop drooling. There also are medications that can be taken such as scopolamine which is a patch placed behind the ear and intercepts the nerves before they reach the salivary glands. In severe cases, surgery is performed as a last resort and is only done when a neurological condition is what is causing the drooling or if all other attempts have failed at solving the problem. It is advisable to seek your primary care physician to eliminate other underlying conditions that could be the cause of the drooling.
We never want our loved ones to go through any pain or discomfort and it’s imperative that we act on any problem we see them suffering through quickly and efficiently. At Regency Pointe you can rest assured that your loved one will be looked after and cared for. Feel free to contact us if you would like to find out more about our programs.
