Children who drool often are worrisome?

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Baby and toddler drooling is quite common. The reason is that the child has not fully developed the oral organs, causing the salivary glands to secrete more. However, baby drooling can also be a warning sign of health problems that need attention.

1. Function of the salivary glands

The process of salivation plays an important role in the growth and development of children. Specifically:
Saliva is secreted to help keep the baby's mouth moist. Helps soften food when children start to eat complementary foods, because saliva contains many enzymes that are beneficial for the absorption and digestion of food. Saliva also helps support the baby's swallowing function because it has a slippery nature, and also helps to stick food together, making it easier for babies to swallow food. Saliva secreted to protect children's teeth: Because in the composition of saliva contains proteins that help limit the growth of bacteria while helping to make teeth stronger. Saliva helps neutralize stomach acid and protects the lining of the esophagus from irritation. Moreover, saliva secretion is also a sign of teething, physical development of toddlers or children drooling when smelling milk or food.

2. The reason why children often drool

Babies are known to salivate because the muscles in the oral cavity are not fully developed, making it impossible for the child to fully control the swallowing functions and causing the baby's drool to flow more compared to normal. This can also happen while the baby is sleeping. In addition to this reason, children often salivate can also be caused by:
Children start teething: When children enter the teething stage, the process of teeth emerging from the gums will make the child uncomfortable at the same time. Increased saliva production more than usual and may lead to frequent drooling in children. Children who frequently open their mouths can also cause them to swallow saliva irregularly and salivate more. When children are focused on something for too long, their body can also increase the production of saliva more than usual. Furthermore, the child's highly focused attention prevents the child from swallowing the amount of saliva secreted, leading to drooling. Saliva produced in the mouth has the effect of neutralizing the acidic environment in the stomach, helping to limit diseases related to the stomach and digestive tract of children. When children eat foods containing acids such as oranges, lemons, grapes, it can stimulate the salivary glands to produce more and make them salivate. However, this is not a cause for concern because this is also a beneficial reflex for the child. Children who drool often help fight reflux esophagitis. Children with stomatitis make drool or drool a lot: Newborns are very susceptible to bacterial infections from the outside environment. When the virus and bacteria attack, the child can get an infection on the tongue, cheekbones, lips, gums... If the infection is caused by herpes bacteria, it can cause the child's mouth to blister around and saliva. will flow out a lot. The disease will become more severe on hot days. Therefore, parents need to pay attention to hygiene and strengthen children's resistance in the summer. Hand, foot and mouth disease: When a child has hand, foot and mouth disease, it can also cause a child to drool more than usual. This is because blisters can grow on the lymph nodes or neck, making it difficult for the child to swallow. Children may experience mental disorders, developmental delays or cerebral palsy, birth defects that cause more drooling than children of the same age.

3. Things parents need to do when children drool a lot

Although the phenomenon of children drooling is quite common and can be seen as an important milestone in the development process, if the child is older and this condition still occurs, parents need to consider and bring the child go to the doctor. Because the child may have some health problem, if not treated in time, it will affect the health and development of the child.
In addition, when children drool a lot that is not related to medical conditions, parents need to follow some principles:
Regularly take care of the skin around the child's mouth: The skin around the child's mouth Babies such as cheeks, chin, or neck can develop an allergy-like infection when a newborn has a lot of drooling. To avoid discomfort for children, parents should use a clean and soft towel to gently wipe each child's drool. Besides, the baby's skin at this time is quite thin and sensitive, so it is easy to hurt, so in addition to cleaning the child's mouth, parents should apply moisturizer to the child. Parents can let children use bibs to avoid the baby's drool flowing down both the neck and the shirt. However, you should choose bibs made from cotton to increase absorption. At the same time, regularly change and wash the bibs to keep the baby's skin safe. In addition to keeping the child's body clean, parents also pay attention to regularly cleaning the living environment to eliminate the risk of infection from the environment that may affect the child. Periodically disinfect household appliances, do not allow children to suck their thumbs or suck on objects while sleeping, put children to sleep in a supine position... Children's salivation is a normal phenomenon and if children are still active normally Usually parents should not be too worried, this condition may disappear as the child grows older. However, if the child's drooling still occurs as he grows up, there are no signs of improvement, then parents can take the child to see a pediatrician to find out the cause.

Currently, the Pediatrics Department at Vinmec International General Hospital is trusted by many parents to examine the diseases that infants and young children are susceptible to. Vinmec brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts by:
Gathering a team of leading pediatricians: including leading experts with high professional qualifications ( professor, associate professor, doctorate, master), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108... The doctors are well-trained, professional, conscientious - understanding and understanding young psychology. Besides domestic pediatricians, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. Advanced techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to play comfortably and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.

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