In a previous post, we discussed some of the many causes of drooling or excessive saliva production. In this post, we’ll discuss some of the ways you can address these concerns. For many patients, these issues are first noticed by a dentist who is trained to recognize changes in oral health, including over and underproduction of saliva. During your general dentistry appointments twice a year, let your dentist know if you’re struggling with excessive drooling or dry mouth. In many cases, these issues need to be addressed by neurologists and other medical doctors, but a dentist will be able to give you more information about whether or not you should be seriously concerned about saliva overproduction.
What Can I Do to Stop Drooling?
Treatments for drooling depend in large part on the cause. Patients suffering from serious illnesses, neurological disorders, or trauma that can lead to daytime drooling will need to work with skilled neurologists, medical professionals, or surgeons. For those patients who have over productive salivary glands, there are medications available to decrease saliva production. Botox Therapeutic injections may also help to slow the production of saliva. If your salivary glands are functioning properly and you’re still struggling with drooling during sleep, consider some of the following solutions:
- Change your sleeping position. Drooling is much more common for those patients who sleep on their backs or sides, so sleeping on the back can often fix the problem.
- Seek diagnosis and treatment for any allergy or sinus issues. Patients who can’t breathe through the nose during sleep, are much more likely to drool, so treating these sinus and allergy issues can diminish saliva production.
- Speech therapy is sometimes recommended for patients with serious drooling issues. These treatments can improve the strength and stability of the jaw. It can also help patients to completely close and seal their mouths stopping drool.
- There are also oral appliances available to reposition the tongue and help patients to completely close their mouths during sleep.
Meet the Dental Group West Team
At Dental Group West, we can assist patients in understanding the underlying causes of drooling and help them start taking steps to improve this condition. If you’re worried about excessive salivation, please don’t hesitate to talk to us about your experience when you’re here for a checkup. You can also feel free to contact our friendly team at any time. We’ll do our best to answer your questions or schedule a time for you to come in to see us.