Surely this isnt normal...

[OhToBeASeahorse]

My son is nearly 3 and has excessive saliva. Like it spurts out his mouth.

He has also been diagnosed with geographical tongue. He is missing a front tooth which I'm not sure is relevant but does this look normal to you? It's getting worse not better.

Is he teething? Drooling is very normal for children that are teething. Have you seen a doctor?

No not teething. Dr not interested!

Has the doctor tested your son's iron levels, vitamin B12, folate and full blood count? Geographical tongue is usually a symptom of anaemia or other vitamin/mineral deficiencies. Geographical tongue can be sore, maybe that's what's making him dribble? What's his diet like?

Or could it be oral thrush (rather than geographical tongue)? That could make him drool due to the discomfort, or could be his molars coming through?

No dr has never mentioned that. Diet is pretty good I'd say, for a toddler...

Have you been to a dentist to check things on the teeth side. They may be better for a considered opinion?

I don't think geographic tongue is "usually" associated with nutrient deficiencies - in most cases the underlying cause is unknown.

Sorry, you're right @Iesugrist I was thinking of glossitis, which can look similar...

How is his speech?

My son is 3 and drools quite a bit. He's had a significant speech delay and apparently this can cause it, to do with the mouth muscles.

His speech is excellent (doesnt blood stop talking either so there is plenty of exercise going on!)

I'll book a dentist check up, good idea

Geographical tongue can be hereditary but doesn't cause dribbling to excess (I have it, as did my mother).

Is his tongue v big?

As a dentist I can say that most children are very very salivary. It looks perfectly normal to me.

If he's a talker he's probably just not swallowing as much as other children because he's too busy talking

He could be teething, or occasionally reflux can cause excess saliva but it really doesn't look like anything worrying

He could have low muscle tone and that often resolves with maturity.
How is he with things like riding a scooter, doing up buttons etc?

One of mine was a terrible dribbler until he was nearly school age. I was a child development specialist at the time so used to assessing fine/gross motor skills etc. I put it down to a slight delay in development and he is fine now.

Just to add that those of us who produce a lot of saliva have to be extra careful with dental care.

@TheFirstMrsDV oh not good with scooter though I just put that down to lack of interest. But he is clumsy as.

[quote OhToBeASeahorse]@TheFirstMrsDV oh not good with scooter though I just put that down to lack of interest. But he is clumsy as.[/quote]
He probably just need a bit of time to catch up. Kids develop at different rates and that goes for all aspects of their development, not just the ones we tend to think about like speech and walking.
I didn't post to give you something to worry about, my son is 13 now and fine. He caught up by the time he started school with no left over delay at all. His writing is fine, he plays football etc.

Its always a good idea to keep an eye on things and to ask advice if you need to. But I wouldn't be unduly worried for now.