How to treat a child's drooling

Patient's question:

Detailed medical condition and consultation purpose: Drooling
Duration of onset and current condition: Started drooling three or four months ago
Current general condition: In winter, he drools a lot, but now he has grown two teeth

Doctor's answer:

Hello: This issue needs to be explained starting from the characteristics of children's oral cavities. The oral cavity of a child changes with growth and development. Newborns have no teeth in their mouths, with a short and wide tongue, thick fat layers in the cheeks, well-developed facial muscles, and thickened, protruding mucous membranes of the jawbones. All of these are conducive to gripping the nipple during feeding and coordinating sucking movements. Due to the absence of erupted teeth and underdeveloped alveolar ridges, the palate and oral floor of infants are relatively shallow.
Between 6 to 7 months of age, the secretion of saliva gradually increases in children, but their swallowing reflex is not yet sensitive. Since there are no alveolar ridges to obstruct saliva, it is not swallowed. Therefore, children often exhibit drooling during this period, which is a physiological condition known as sialorrhea and requires no treatment. As children grow and develop, with the eruption of teeth, the gradual formation of alveolar ridges, the slow elevation of the palate, the deepening of the oral floor, and the training of swallowing movements, the drooling phenomenon will improve.
Parents should pay attention that in some cases, drooling in infants is pathological, indicating that the infant may be suffering from certain diseases. For example, if an infant drools excessively and has cracked, inflamed corners of the mouth, it is likely due to angular cheilitis. If accompanied by redness or ulcers in the oral mucosa, refusal to eat, and irritability, it may be caused by stomatitis. If accompanied by unilateral or bilateral facial muscle atrophy and weak chewing ability, it could be due to poor digestion or intestinal ascariasis. If accompanied by intellectual developmental delays or dementia, it may be a result of underdeveloped brain nervous system. These pathological cases of sialorrhea require medical examination and treatment. Generally, once the underlying cause is addressed, the child's drooling will improve or resolve.
Since saliva contains digestive enzymes and other substances