ASK! about Health & Fitness

The following are extracts of articles from Factiva.com. You might like to refer this link to find out more about how to access this database.

Ask the Expert, Edmonton Journal, 14 June 2004
“There are many reasons why most people at one time or another will drool. In dentistry, anyways, we think drooling, mainly, is a problem with jaw relationships or alignment. If you have inadequate jaw relationships then there’s not a good lip seal at the front, and the saliva, instead of pooling and being swallowed, pours out the side of the mouth. “This usually comes from severe overclosure or overbite and with people who’ve worn their teeth down. In the case of older people, there’s really a lot of wear or they have dentures or appliances and a lot of vertical dimension is lost because of bone shrinkage. The solution is to restore the worn out teeth or crowns with new crowns or supply new appliances and build that bite up to take up the slack. The lost dimension is restored and they can keep the saliva in their mouth.

You nighttime droolers, sleep on your backs, The Arizona Republic, 2 February 2006 “…But it seems mostly likely that you’re just an ordinary, garden-variety drooler. It’s quite common. The medical term for it, in case anyone asks you, is sialorrhea.
This is how it works. Your brain really isn’t quite as smart as it likes to go around telling you it is. It occasionally forgets to do stuff, such as tidying up around your body.
You produce more saliva when you’re awake than when you’re sleeping, and you politely swallow it so you don’t go around dribbling on yourself or on other people.
You still produce saliva when you’re asleep, but your brain sometimes forgets to tell your throat and mouth muscles to swallow.
So the stuff pools up in your cheeks and eventually comes seeping out…”

You might be interested to check out books under the call number 616.8498 for sleeping disorders. Some examples are:

1) Title: Coping with sleep disorders
Author: Carolyn Simpson
Call no: Y 616.8498 SIM

2) Title: Sleep disorders for dummies
Author: Max Hirshkowitz
Call no: 616.8498 HIR -[HEA]

3) Title: Sleep: the complete guide to sleep disorders and a better night’s sleep
Author: J. Paul Caldwell
Call no: 616.8498 CAL -[HEA]

For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Answered by Ms Ng Hui Hong, Librarian, Adult and Young People Services

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