Salivary and mucous glands in the human mouth produce a clear liquid called saliva, which provides moisture for the inside of the mouth and aids in digestion. A variety of circumstances can cause these glands to produce too much saliva in some people. This condition can be related to taking certain medicines, having specific medical conditions or as a result of ingesting certain poisons.
The average person produces up to 2 quarts (1.9 liters) of saliva a day. Saliva is about 98 percent water, and it is typically swallowed continually as produced as an involuntary reaction. Too much saliva can be the result of the glands that produce it becoming over active or from an individual swallowing less.
Reduced swallowing can be caused by a number of factors. Medical conditions that typically accompany reduced swallowing include sinusitis, either temporary or chronic; some allergies; and enlargement of the adenoids. Anything that causes sensitivity in the tongue or mouth also can cause an individual to swallow less often and sense that they have too much saliva. Several chronic medical conditions have reduced swallowing as a symptom as well including strokes, multiple sclerosis, autism and Down syndrome.
A variety of conditions — some occurring naturally, others involving a precipitating event outside the body — can cause the salivary glands to produce too much saliva. Naturally occurring causes include any of a number of mouth infections, teething and Bell’s palsy. A condition known as GERD, which stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease, can cause the esophagus to become inflamed producing discomfort and saliva in excess.
Regarding conditions that require some precipitating event, pregnant women often produce saliva in excess. Sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis can result in too much saliva. Rabies can be a cause as well, producing the apparent foaming at the mouth that many associate with it. A disease such as tuberculosis can be a cause. Non-medical conditions such as ingesting arsenic or mercury or having new or ill-fitting dentures can result in the body producing too much saliva, too.
Excess saliva is often a temporary condition. A doctor’s help should be sought in obvious cases such as suspected poisoning, rabies or other undiagnosed diseases. If a doctor’s visit appears warranted, experts recommend, if possible, that the patient try to determine if the excess is being produced by the glands or a result of reduced swallowing.
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anon250635
Post 19 |
@ Anon154326: Has your condition improved since the first day? |
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anon245181
Post 18 |
@musicshaman: It is a real problem and at the very least, an enormous nuisance. I started having excessive saliva eight years ago. It is an obvious increase in saliva from what I used to have. I literally can't open my mouth without drooling. So I consciously swallow or spit all day. That is the hard part. Once the production of saliva increases, then it becomes part of your conscious brain (which it shouldn't be). And I can assure you that it was the increase of saliva, then being aware – not being aware, *then* the increase of saliva. I think it is a virus/bacteria or something that has caused my salivary glands to over produce. That is just my guess. |
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anon232246
Post 17 |
Has any solution to this problem been discovered yet? |
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anon231111
Post 16 |
I know I now have excess saliva because I didn't used to! For the last three years I have suffered from this condition. The doctors just blamed smoking, but I stopped and it made no difference. I used to be so outgoing and now I just avoid talking to people or keep it to a minimum. I can talk away on the phone! My self confidence has vanished. I can't find a solution and it truly is making me very unhappy. Has anyone had any success with having this treated? |
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Nightshadow
Post 15 |
Well my problem, although related to other posts, is also quite different than the other conditions that I've been reading about. I had just finished drinking about 25 oz of water or so (three large glasses) in the space of a few minutes while discussing politics and history with my father (not that what I was talking about matters) The glass I used had just been taken from the cupboard and when I looked in (I'm OCD about dirty dishes) I noticed no visible residue or pollutants. Moments after drinking the water, my mouth began to foam uncontrollably. My mouth was full of white thick saliva after 30 seconds or so after just spitting and a practically indescribably disgusting taste was at the back of my mouth along the sides of my tongue. My tongue was also a bit numb, especially where the taste was. From drinking the water, standing over a sink for a few moments, then searching online for an answer, finding this site and reading every post to about when I started writing this the foam continued, the taste is still there and I am once again very thirsty but rather worried that drinking any more water will cause a repeat of the foaming mouth. I am in no way making this up and quite honestly I'm concerned about what could possibly have caused such a bizarre reaction in my mouth. I also doubt anyone will reply to this in a short enough time to save me if these are symptoms of some deathly ailment that requires immediate medical attention but regardless anyone with any idea whatsoever of what could have possibly just happened to me, please reply. Thanks in advance, A.W. |
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anon212435
Post 12 |
When you talk and saliva flies out you have too much saliva, that's how you know, I suppose. Unless everyone else is spitting all the time. |
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anon168778
Post 11 |
my husband has had too much spit in his mouth for years. he is constantly swallowing and it keeps him bloated. He is always spitting in a cup when he isn't swallowing. Ho doctors seem to know what to do. |
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anon168634
Post 10 |
If you would like to get an idea of what too much saliva is like: I went to a concert recently and all of a sudden my mouth started filling with saliva. I didn't happen to have a bottle or cup nearby and this was out of town, so I had no idea where a bathroom or drinking fountain was. I had to make a choice of listening to the music I paid big bucks to listen to or waste 20 minutes tracking down a bathroom to spit. Within one hour, my mouth was completely filled with saliva to the point where my cheeks were starting to balloon up. You could swallow it, but if you don't swallow it as you go, you are left with a large amount of warm foamy liquid that no one in their right mind would want to drink. When I finally got outside, I spit out a huge mouthful of what must have been about 6-7 fl oz, due to 90 min of non-spitting. That is not fun. |
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anon167429
Post 9 |
I have been dealing with too much saliva for five years. I swallow so much that the inside of my mouth is always raw. I'm a bit scared to go to the doctor. I went once when it first started and felt really stupid. Any thoughts would be great! |
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awls1425
Post 8 |
My brother has a similar problem, but i can see that he has a problem because he spits a lot inside of a bottle. Or whatever he has next to him, so i notice that he sometimes fill the bottle with his saliva. I know it sounds weird, but i think he has a problem, and i am trying to figure it out. Recently, i am watching him more and he spits every two or maximum, three minutes. In less than seven hours he fills the bottle up of saliva, and i can compare with myself, how much saliva i have and it is much less than he spits. I cannot even spit anything, so my conclusion is that he has an excess of saliva problem. |
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anon160802
Post 7 |
The problem of having too much saliva is real and very exhausting. That is because if you experience such a situation, you become insecure about interacting with others in society! I am one of the victims going through it in the past three years. I came to realize it when speaking, my mouth is filled with the floods of saliva. It is difficult to manage the condition by either swallowing or spitting. Then it came to the point of social stigma as a result of too much saliva. That means when you talk with people they tends to cover their mouth with tissues/handkerchief/turning their heads aside! The inevitable decision is to stay quiet. I would love to see a solution to this condition but it seems to be like a day dream. Fear of making the situation worse together with other side effects keeps me from using drugs. |
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anon154326
Post 6 |
This is happening me today, and did for the last two days - it accompanies an aching throat. I think my body is trying to aid my throat ache by creating more saliva. I am spitting saliva out into the sink or waste paper basket about a teaspoon every two minutes! Literally! I would swallow more but that causes my stomach to hurt. Wish this would stop soon. |
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anon151680
Post 4 |
I've had too much saliva for a year now. I've gone to 10, yes 10, different kinds of doctors. the salivary glands in my throat are all swollen and in the last two months the ducts in my mouth have enlarged to the point that when i stretch my mouth that saliva squirts into my mouth. I've traveled to the Cleveland clinic but have not found a cause or treatment. my ana's are slightly elevated. I've been tested for sjorgens and had an mri blood test but that is the only result that had a positive response (ana). |
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musicshaman
Post 3 |
OK, this may be a really silly question to ask, but since you always swallow saliva, how can you truly determine what is "too much"? I can't even imagine how people determined the amount of saliva that the average person swallows in a day, much less how the average Joe would realize that he's producing too much saliva.
I would be really curious to know how many cases of "excess" saliva are just in people's imaginations. I know that as soon as I started reading this, I got hyper-aware of all the saliva in my mouth, so I can see how it might be possible to get obsessed with the idea of having too much...but I just can't really see too many people having this as a serious problem.
If anyone reading this does have excess saliva though, I would love to hear from you, just to get more insight into the condition, so message me back if you've got info -- I'm always willing to learn! |
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TunaLine
Post 2 |
Could you tell me what could be the cause of saliva with little pieces of white stuff floating around in it?
I have been having a lot of saliva recently -- I know it sounds silly, but I wake up and my pillow is soaked with drool, and I never do that! -- and it seems like a lot of times there are a bunch of small white bits in my saliva if I spit it out.
I don't have heartburn or anything so I don't think that it's GERD-related, but I'm just getting kind of freaked out about the whole thing.
Does anybody have any idea what's going on with me? Thanks guys...and sorry for the super-personal info! |
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rallenwriter
Post 1 |
How utterly bizarre -- I had no idea that such a problem as too much saliva even existed.
How do you know when you have too much, I wonder? I mean, I'm assuming that people who have this problem don't exactly walk around foaming at the mouth (unless it's caused by rabies, of course), so how do you get the impression that you've got too much?
With absolutely all respect to people who do suffer from having too much saliva, I can only imagine the look on my doctor's face if I came in and told her that I thought I had too much saliva. I think she would tell me that I had been spending too much time trawling the depths of WebMD.
Really cool article though, and very informative. If I ever get an inexplicably large amounts of saliva coming out of my mouth, then I know what to do! |
