Excessive Drooling - Springfield,MO

My kiddo was always a drooly baby. He wore bibs all the time and managed to soak through them. By age three, my son had exercises for us to do at home to help curb it. It DEFINITELY made a big improvement. It was simple games, like he uses a straw to blow a cotton ball, blowing a whistle, blowing bubbles. We practiced swallowing with water. And I was told to make him aware of drool on his chin and have him dry it. There were more activities, but these are the ones that stuck out. I was told if the exercises didn't improve, then "further testing" would be recommended. So it may be age appropriate. It may be something more serious. It sounds like you have trust issues with your doctor. I would suggest seeing a new doc for a second opinion and possibly a switch for the family.

It could be tonsils- or adenoids-related, it could be a glandular issue, it could be an issue with muscle tone and motor control, it could be a congenital difference in the formation of his mouth. Assuming it's been a long-term thing, I don't think it's a cause for alarm -- just start with an ENT and narrow it down from there. If this JUST STARTED, though, that can signal an immediate need for medical treatment. Doesn't sound like it, from your post, but I wanted to mention that just in case.

I was going to reassure that my oldest also drooled a ton and now that she's much older, I notice she still seems to be one of those people who has a bit too much saliva at times. Fortunately not much etc but seems like a biological difference I guess between people. But - she wasn't like this at 4 still. That seems old for this much drooling. I guess who you go to next depends on his speech. She didn't have any speech issues or that might have been a good place to start. So if your son does, I'd start there. If his speech is good for his age, I'd go to an ENT.

4 seems too old for excessive drooling. If you don't trust your doc, maybe you need a new one??

I would definitely get an eval from a speech pathologist. She can tell you if this is an oral musculature problem and do some fun things with your child to help, as well as give you some great tips to help at home. We had this issue with one of my kids too.

My oldest has always been a drooler, even at age 4 (as you describe, dripping off his chin--we would get aggravated because he drooled more than his teething 2-year old brother!). He's now 6 and I don't notice it nearly as much, but as another poster said, he just seems to have more saliva than the rest of us. Our doctor, as well as our dentist, seemed to think it was allergy-related with his open-mouth breathing (which also causes a lot of plaque on his teeth--something to look for). I would have thought that would dry out his mouth, but apparently the salivary glands can over-compensate.

Anyway, it may be normal, it may be "something." If you're not happy with your pediatrician's recommendation, there is no problem getting a second opinion.

Neurologist.

You need to first have doctors rule out any neurological conditions. Once they've ruled out a neuro condition, you would then be referred to otolaryngology (ENT).