Excessive Saliva
What’s the Real Deal?

Excessive saliva is not a condition in itself, although it is particularly known among doctors and is called in technical terms as sialorrhea, though it is more commonly referred to as drooling.

However, it can also characterize a condition related to pregnancy, which is, in turn, called ptyalism. In most cases, excessive saliva is a symptom or effect of some other medical condition.

Nonetheless, its effects are troublesome for the person and for others.

This condition can cause problems when a person is eating or talking. It can be quite embarrassing to have excess saliva accumulate at the sides of your mouth when you talk or eat.

In severe cases, the person affected may even have breathing problems or experience uncontrolled drooling.

The flow of saliva may also cause dryness and rashes on the area surrounding the mouth. The condition affects people differently. Some are able to control their saliva and contain it within the mouth, but some are not.

The Real Deal behind Too Much Salvia

The issues behind excessive saliva are:

• Tonsils and Pharynx Problems
• Respiratory Infection
• Neurological Problems and Medications
• Hormonal Changes
• Dental-Related Conditions

1. Tonsils and Pharynx Problems

Certain problems regarding the tonsils and the pharynx often cause excess saliva.

Tonsillitis is a very common condition especially among children. Severe cases of tonsillitis are often characterized by excessive salivating, and this can be stopped only when the tonsils are removed.

Any condition that causes an abscess to accumulate anywhere in the pharynx and tonsils area or even a condition called strep throat may also lead to sialorrhea.

2. Respiratory Infection

Excessive saliva can also be, for some people, a symptom of a flu quite like runny nose.

Thus, some cases of excess saliva can be traced to nasal or respiratory problems. If you experience excess saliva and you have a cold, the problem can go away eventually as your cold also passes.

3. Neurological Problems and Medications

Some cases of excessive saliva, however, are also related to neurological problems.

Neurological problems impair certain parts of a person’s consciousness or ability to control bodily functions. This could lead to the production of excess saliva in the mouth. Some conditions, most of which are characterized with nerve damage, that commonly lead to this as an effect include cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease.

In some cases, though the condition itself does not lead to excess saliva, the medication a person takes for the condition can lead to this problem. This is commonly a side effect of medication used to treat schizophrenia.

4. Hormonal Changes

Any imbalance or sudden change in hormones can lead to excessive saliva as well. This is why a lot of pregnant women often complain of salivating too much. Unless the condition is a long term medical one, the excess saliva will go away once the hormones stabilize. In pregnancy, the problem often goes away as the first trimester passes.

5. Dental-Related Conditions

Excess saliva can also accompany some dental conditions or be related to some changes occurring to the teeth.

As an example, babies and toddlers often experience excess salivating at the teething stage. Excess saliva does not necessarily lead to drooling, except that babies often do not have control over the movement of their mouths, which causes the saliva to flow out.

The problem can also be caused by some dental treatments such as the placement of crowns or bridges.

This problem can sometimes even cause difficulty talking since you will be limited by the problem in your effort to keep the saliva from flowing out. In such cases, you can turn to your dentist for an alternative treatment that can alleviate the saliva problem as well as treat your original dental problem.

How to Prevent It

The condition of excessive saliva sometimes cannot be fully prevented, though any troublesome effects such as drooling can be prevented by simply swallowing the saliva.

Some people also prefer spitting it out, though this may not be possible in certain cases. If the excess seems too much and is causing more trouble than you can handle, you have the option of seeing a doctor about your condition.

Doctors may prescribe some medications for the condit

ion to help you deal with the problem. Just remember to drink a lot of water when you are faced with this problem since the outflow of fluid in your body through the production of saliva may lead to dehydration.

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