Excessive salivation, what causes it and how to deal with it

Drooling or drooling while sleeping is a common thing. This usually happens when you sleep tightly. The problem is when you salivate a lot and constantly, even though you are not sleeping. In the medical world, this excessive saliva production is known as hypersalivation. Then what is the cause and how to solve it?

What is hypersalivation?

Saliva (saliva) is a fluid produced by the salivary glands in the oral cavity. Saliva plays a role in softening food and helps in the process of swallowing food and contains digestive enzymes.

Saliva is needed to prevent dry mouth, heal wounds in the mouth, eliminate bacteria, and protect the mouth from toxins. However, if there is too much saliva production or hypersalivation, it may be related to certain health conditions.

Hypersalivation is a condition caused by problems with the salivary glands which result in the production of excess salivary fluid so that saliva can come out on its own without realizing it. This condition is not directly dangerous, but it can interfere with one's self-confidence and make you feel uncomfortable.

Excessive saliva production is generally associated with certain conditions, such as a bacterial infection of the mouth and gums, resulting in a reaction to remove it from the oral cavity through saliva. Hypersalivation can occur acutely or chronically depending on the cause.

Causes of excessive salivation

Reported by journals National Institute for Health and Care Excellence In general, the cause of excess saliva is due to the inability of a person's body to control saliva production or having difficulty swallowing.

In addition, excessive saliva production or hypersalivation will also increase once a person experiences several conditions, such as:

• Cavity
• Gastric acid reflux
• Infections of the oral cavity
• Sprue
• Take sedatives
• Being exposed to poison
• Is pregnant
• Injury or trauma to the jaw
• Serious infections, such as tuberculosis and rabies
• Using dentures

Some cases of saliva can be caused by side effects of drugs, such as clozapine, pilocarpine, ketamine, risperidone, and potassium chloride. Even in some cases sudden poisoning can be caused by mercury, copper, arsenic, to insecticides.

Normally, saliva production can also increase when a person is chewing gum, is eating, or when he is happy or anxious.

Meanwhile, if the excessive saliva production has lasted a long time and is chronic it may also be caused by impaired control of the oral muscles, such as those caused by:

• Malocclusion - the condition where the two teeth do not close flat when the jaw closes
• Intellectual impairment
• Parkinson's disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Stroke
• Cerebral palsy
• Facial nerve paralysis
• Swelling of the tongue
• Jaw abnormalities

Some are due to excessive salivation problems

Hypersalivation causes the mouth to continue to fill with saliva, which can cause a person to appear to be drooling or drooling, needing to spit constantly, and having difficulty swallowing. Medically, hypersalivation can also result in:

• Dry lips
• Irritation to skin infection around the oral cavity
• Bad breath
• Dehydration
• Trouble speaking
• Difficulty in tasting food

A person who is experiencing hypersalivation will likely also inhale salivary fluid so that it enters the respiratory system, giving rise to a reflex to vomit and cough. If it occurs repeatedly, it is feared that it will become a recurrent infection and there is a risk of developing lung disease.

Not only the medical aspect, due to excessive salivation can also have an impact on psychological aspects. One of them is that it can affect a person's confidence level.

In addition, hypersalivation in several conditions also affects daily activities, for example a person has to change clothes more often or the risk of damaging objects around him.

How to deal with excessive saliva according to the cause

Excess saliva production will stop and return to normal once the thing that caused it is gone or treated. So there are various ways to deal with excessive saliva by first knowing the cause.

The doctor will recognize the condition of hypersalivation by discussing the symptoms and possible other health conditions that you are experiencing are related to the cause of the hypersalivation. If hypersalivation is related to cavities and tooth infection, then you should immediately get checked out and consult a dentist.

How to stop excessive salivation at home can be done if the cause comes from minor infections, such as gum inflammation and mouth irritation. Both of these causes can be treated by maintaining oral hygiene. There are several things you can do to overcome this oral problem as follows.

1. Brushing your teeth using mouthwash

Brushing your teeth properly and regularly is one way to control hypersalivation because it has a drying effect on the mouth. The same thing can also be found when you gargle with mouthwash that contains alcohol.

2. Using drugs from a doctor

Hypersalivation can be treated with several medical treatments, such as glycopyrrolate and scopolamine. Glycopyrrolate is an oral drug that functions as an inhibitor of nerve impulses to the salivary glands so that the mouth produces less saliva.

Meanwhile, scopolamine is an external drug in the form of a plaster or patch which is attached to the back of the ear and also acts as a barrier to nerve impulses to the salivary glands.

As with other types of drugs, both types of medication can cause side effects, such as dizziness, palpitations, urinary disorders, hyperactivity, dry mouth, and visual disturbances.

3. Medical procedures

Reported from the journal American Academy of Family Physicians , botox injections (botulinum toxin) type A injected into the salivary glands can treat hypersalivation in adult patients. The effects of this treatment can last for about five months and require repeated treatments in the long term.

Then surgery or surgery on the salivary glands can also be done with a simple procedure and does not require general anesthesia. Unfortunately, the problem of excess saliva may come back after 18 months, when this tissue begins to grow back.

There are also radiation therapy options recommended for elderly sufferers who cannot take certain drugs and are at risk if surgery is performed to treat excess saliva problems.

Of course, the various ways to treat hypersalivation need to be discussed with your doctor first to determine which treatment option is the most appropriate.