4 yr old with excessive saliva. any thoughts?

[pillsthrillsandbellyaches]

my ds (4, asd) soaks his pillow at night with saliva. it is also quite smelly, kindof like sour milk. he snores quite loudly.

he is good at getting his teeth brushed before bed, and his breath doesn't smell during the day.

i was wondering anyone has a similar problem, or if there might be an underlying health reason.

any ideas?

could it be just that bad morning breath you get as a result of fasting / ketones breaking down

with the snoring - maybe tonsils or adenoids

does he sleep flat? maybe try tilting the bed slightly. Might help if there is any slight obstruction to airways

has it been going on a long time? My dc drool loads more with chest infections etc. Tho you'd have other signs of that

my dd's breath is pretty rancid most of the time. She dribbles loads all the time but I guess its worse at night because there's nowhere for it to go

I would mention at yr next paed appt

oh also - possibly reflux. Worse when lying down

thanks, i will. should be slighly easier at next paed appt. as she has agreed to do a home visit, seeing as he went absolutely ape shit the last time, from the minute we parked the car at the hosp! till after we left.

he does sleep flat. he has had tonsillitis recently and then swollen glands. its so hard to get him examined!

but what are adenoids, and what do they do???

excuse my ignorance!

why would they cause the saliva?

and is it bad?

sounds like enlarged tonsils and adenoids. adenoids are like tonsils (same tissue and function) but more in the back of the nose I think ?? (anatomy gone to pot - but think thats right) Would also fit with the snoring as slightly blocks airway.
If enlarged can reduce ability to swallow and lets face it if youre deeply asleep swallowing isnt high on your list of priorities.
Im assuming your DS does not have significant physical problems.

in the mean time try placing a small round plaster about an inch under the right ear lobe,dont ask me how it works as i havent a clue but one of the pupils that i support in school was very bad day and night dribbling all the time,doctors suggested this and it has worked well, still a little but nothing like it was.

myra

Now, I know of this a lot when associated with morning sickness (the extreme form known as hypoeremesis)

I wonder if it is a form of nausea in your child too?

In the daytime the trick for older people is to suck lemon as that fries the mouth a little, sour sweets might help too.

Mind, ds3 does it too and he just ahs poor mouth tone.

Definitely a check up needed

DS1 used to do this, it has stopped since he had his adenoids removed. Also used to have the world's most disgusting snotty nose hen he got a cold, which has also gone. He used to dribble fairly regularly in the day as he constatnly breathed through his mouth.

Myra, that plaster you describe - is it not a medicated patch? Kids I have worked with have used them, they are impregnated with scopomaline which inhibits saliva production - aso they are only helpful really if the child is over producing, not if they are just failing to swallow.