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Causes of salivating a lot

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

Saliva is a watery fluid that comes from the salivary glands found in the mouth. These are responsible for maintaining the humidity of the oral cavity and help to keep it free of infections, due to the fact that it has the ability to preserve a protective film.

The properties of saliva can be affected individually by virtue of the hydration or health of each person. A problem in the salivary glands can affect the production of saliva, either by decreasing or increasing the amount of it. Salivating a lot is not a disease, it is simply a symptom warning that something is not working well within the body.

Increased salivation can appear for different causes: during the first months of pregnancy, due to the presence of a neurological disorder such as Parkinson’s or a dental prosthesis. Therefore, in this FastlyHealarticle you will learn about all the causes of salivating a lot , as well as how to treat it when this occurs.

Hypersalivation

Hypersalivation or excess saliva is known as hypersalivation and ptyalism .

To understand the causes of salivating a lot, it must be clear that there is a daily amount of saliva production under normal conditions, this is 1.5 liters of saliva per day under normal conditions . This is withdrawn from the mouth by means of the device. digestive, each person swallows it unconsciously, in this way, it does not accumulate in the mouth.

The amount of saliva that is stored in the mouth will depend on the activity that is being carried out or the time of day. For example, when you consume acidic foods, saliva production increases, while when you are asleep, it decreases.

When it is produced in excess, which is known as hypersalivation or hypersalivation, the amount of saliva is greater than what is usually produced, because there is a greater accumulation of it in the oral cavity, causing what is known as drooling. This occurs in babies, since they have not yet developed the swallowing process.

Causes of sialorrhea

The causes of hypersalivation or for which you can salivate a lot are diverse, below you will learn about each of the causes of excess saliva:

Dentition

It is the time when the baby teeth come out in children, therefore, this cause is considered normal. In this case, both excess salivation and teething resolve after 16 months and 3 years of age.

Poor oral hygiene

Inadequate hygiene can lead to increased salivation and be one of the causes of salivating a lot, so it is recommended to maintain oral hygiene permanently to avoid bad breath and other complications.

Infections

The presence of infections in the oropharyngeal region, such as streptococcal pharyngitis, abscesses around the tonsils or tonsillitis. During these infectious processes there is difficulty in swallowing saliva , due to pain and inflammation in the oropharyngeal area, which is why an accumulation of it is generated within the oral cavity and an increase or excess of salivation is noted.

More serious infections, such as rabies and tuberculosis, are capable of presenting this symptom.

Gastroesophageal reflux

It is a chronic disease and one of the causes of excess saliva: it occurs when stomach acid is frequently returned to the esophagus (tube that connects the mouth with the stomach). One of the symptoms that occurs frequently is to salivate a lot.

Learn more about this disease in Gastroesophageal reflux: causes, symptoms and treatment .

Wearing dentures or having an orthodontic appliance

Both pieces are a foreign body in the mouth, so you have to get used to its presence inside the oral cavity. While this occurs, an increase in salivation is generated, one of the causes of excess saliva. Once adapted to the prosthesis or orthodontic appliance, it is normalized.

Pregnancy

During the first trimester of pregnancy, saliva production increases: this is due to a defense mechanism due to the increase in progesterone during pregnancy.

This causes the loss of the normal contraction of the cardia, a valve that is separating the esophagus from the stomach, which causes a momentary gastroesophageal reflux, thus generating an increase in the production of saliva to neutralize heartburn. As the gestational state progresses this disappears.

Use of some medications

Salivating a lot can be conditioned to the intake of certain medications, among which are antihypertensives , used to control blood pressure. Consuming them can increase salivation and this explains one of the causes of excess saliva. It should be mentioned that benzodiazepines decrease the ability to swallow, hence the increase in the amount of saliva in the mouth.

Anxiety and stress

Both alterations can generate excess salivation, due to poor handling of emotions.

It can also be due to the consumption of medications to control anxiety and stress, these can have a lot of saliva as a side effect. Some medications indicated to control anxiety and stress such as Clozapine, Nitracepan, Lithium and drugs called cholinergics have stimulation of the salivary glands as a side effect.

Parkinson’s disease

Salivating a lot is one of the most common symptoms of this neurological disease. This is caused by the inability to control the muscles , which results in the blockage of swallowing food voluntarily and saliva.

See more information about this disease in Parkinson’s: symptoms and treatment .

Cerebral palsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

They are diseases product of a neurological alteration where the motor part is affected, thus generating difficulty in swallowing which facilitates the accumulation of saliva in the mouth and gives the sensation of salivating a lot.

Symptoms of hypersalivation

The main symptom is excessive salivation, this in turn can give rise to the appearance of:

  • Alteration of the sense of taste
  • Peeling of the lips that can become infected.
  • Dermatitis on the chin.
  • Bad breath.
  • Dehydration
  • Facial muscle fatigue due to constant effort to swallow.
  • Difficulty to swallow.

How to treat excess saliva

Excess salivation can be controlled with medical treatment. Once the causes of going out a lot, which gave rise to the appearance of this symptom, have been established, the treatment can be carried out in two ways:

Pharmacotherapy

Through the prescription of drugs used to control saliva production:

  • Atropine.
  • Antispasmodics.
  • Neuropsicótropos.

It is important that you bear in mind that the administration of these medications must be under medical supervision, since they can generate some side effects that must be controlled by a doctor.

If you are salivating a lot due to the intake of any medication, stopping it will be enough to make the excess salivation disappear, but remember that the adjustment of the dose of the medication must be carried out by the specialist who indicated it.

In the case of an infectious process at the oral level, once reversed, everything will return to normal. To do this, the doctor will indicate an antibiotic, that way you will overcome this alteration.

If you are pregnant, you can overcome excessive salivation after the first trimester.

Surgical

Surgical treatment is intended for those patients who have not responded to drug treatment and this alteration is damaging their day-to-day life. This procedure consists of ligating the ducts through which saliva is released or extracting some salivary glands.

In any case, the doctor will be the indicated specialist to treat abundant saliva according to your cause.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Causes of salivating a lot , we recommend that you enter our category of Teeth and mouth .

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