Dribbling past age two: why it is worth checking
Emily explains why regular dribbling after age two is worth a closer look, and what it can tell us about where the tongue rests.
Transcript
The tongue should be resting on the roof of the mouth, in particular on this spot, which triggers us to swallow. So when the tongue isn’t resting there, saliva will pool, the lips will often also be incompetent when the tongue is low, and that’s why we get this excess dribbling. The tongue being there to swallow throughout the day is also where the tongue should be at night, scaffolding the airway and keeping our children breathing through their noses and breathing optimally all night, which gives them their best, deepest, most restorative sleep, helping them to grow and learn their best. So if your child is a dribbler, I urge you to look at the reasons why.
Look at the airway, the tonsils, the adenoids, the palatal space, and the tongue. Look at their oral function. You can take them to an ENT, you can take them to an airway dentist or a myofunctional therapist.