Saliva Management

 

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​What is Saliva Management?

Saliva management (sometimes called drooling or sialorrhea) involves the ability to control saliva in the mouth and throat — including swallowing it, keeping it in when needed, and avoiding unwanted dribbling. When a child’s mouth, tongue, jaw, or swallowing system can’t keep up, even a small amount of saliva can become a big source of frustration. At FirstRowe, we help children build the muscles, awareness and routines that support comfortable, controlled saliva flow — so they can focus on talking, eating, playing, not managing moisture.

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Why It Matters

Saliva doesn’t just stay in your mouth, it affects:

• Speech: Too much saliva can make articulation harder or cause “wet” sounds

• Eating & Swallowing: It can interfere with chewing, swallowing and mealtime comfort.

• Confidence & Social Ease: A child who is self-conscious about drooling may withdraw from conversation or play.

• Health & Hygiene: Persistent drooling can lead to skin irritation, damp clothes, and in complex cases, risk of airway issues.

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Signs Your Child Might Benefit from Support

You might want a screening if you notice things like:

• Frequent or persistent dribbling beyond age 4–5

• Wet lips, chin, or clothing after speaking or eating

• Mouth open at rest, or a tongue-tip resting forward

• A need to constantly wipe or change bibs/clothes

• Speech or swallowing difficulties that go along with drooling

• Avoidance of social or eating situations because of self-consciousness

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When several of these appear, early intervention usually leads to smoother progress.

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How We Help
We use a friendly, practical, individualized approach to help children build better saliva control. Here’s what we do together:
 

Evaluation & Observation: We look at posture, oral-motor strength (jaw, lips, tongue), swallowing patterns, dental/medical history and how saliva behaves in real life.

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Custom Therapy Plan: Based on findings, we create a plan that might include: oral-motor exercises, lip/tongue awareness games, swallow training, positioning and environment tweaks.

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Parent & Caregiver Coaching: Because real progress happens outside the therapy room. We teach you simple strategies to use at home: reminders, cues, fun games.

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Generalizing to Real Life: The goal is for your child to feel confident and comfortable in everyday settings — classroom, lunch table, playground — not just the therapy room.

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Collaborative Care: When needed, we partner with dental, orthodontic, ENT or feeding specialists for a full-spectrum approach.

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What to expect at FirstRowe

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Step 1: Screening / Consultation

Free 15-minute consultation — We hear your concerns, ask a few questions, and decide if a detailed assessment is the next step

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Step 2: Detailed assessment

Hands-on session to examine how saliva, swallowing, posture, speech and oral-motor control are working.​

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Step 3: Therapy Sessions

Weekly or bi-weekly (depending on goals), with fun activities and measurable progress.

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Step 4: Home Practice & Tracking

We give you tools, visuals, and games to keep progress going at home.

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Step 4: Check-ins & Goals Review

We track how things improve: less dribbling, clearer speech, more comfort in social settings.

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Step 4: Transition to confidence

Once goals are met, we scale back therapy and continue monitoring so your child stays on track.

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Ready to Get Started?

If you’d like to explore how saliva management therapy can support your child — let’s talk.
Click the button below to schedule your free 15-minute consultation via Zoom or phone