Toddler with mouth pain and tons of drooling?

[fizgig]

Our DS is 2.5 and is a late talker.  His receptive and expressive language is very behind (at about 12-16 months) but we think there is nothing else going on (i.e. he has been diagnosed as not on the spectrum, etc).  I am at a total loss about a problem he is having with serious mouth pain and would love some thoughts/help. 

 

DS has, on and off for over a year, been displaying a lot of signs of mouth discomfort (holding his cheeks and making a pain face, lots of crying etc) plus he is drooling like a machine. Literally an entire t-shirt will be drenched in a few hours.  Sometimes he also rubs his nose so I have been thinking maybe it is a sinus problem but our regular ped saw nothing wrong.

Forever we of course attributed this to teething but now that all his teeth are in we can't explain it that way. His last teeth finished pushing in almost a month ago and that the pain hasn't stopped is really suddenly freaking me out.

The drooling and pain seem to come and go, a month or so on then a week or two off (which supported our teething theory). I now have no idea what could be causing it. I see no problems in his mouth (no sores, no teeth issues and we went to the dentist to confirm no signs of tooth decay).

I am beginning to wonder if this could be related to his late talking.

He has no other signs of oral motor problems (eats great and can handle any kind of texture, I have heard him make most sounds so I know they are possible) but the fact that his pronunciation is very immature coupled with this makes me worry. Overall his muscle tone and motor skills are very strong but I don't know if its possible to have an isolated problem like that just in his mouth? If it were muscular or something neurological would it also cause pain?

Has anyone heard of something like this? Any experience? Thoughts on what it could be and what I should do next?

Right now I'm thinking an Ear, Nose and Throat Dr and maybe a return visit to the dentist to push the issue but am at a little bit of a loss.

 

Thank you so much for any thoughts or suggestions.

[SpottedFoxx]

While my son experienced no pain, if your son has sensitive skin, it may be from the drooling.  My son does, however, have a severe speech delay and low oral tone which caused his mouth to just kinda hang open which made him drool like a mad man.  Working with his speech therapist, we have greatly improved the muscle tone in his mouth, lips and tongue so the issue has resolved itself.  

First, the pain, you need to see a physician or dentist (preferably a pediatric dentist).

Second, I'd ask the speech therapist you are using about his muscle tone.  If she/he hasn't noticed or addressed this issue, time for a new therapist.

Some techniques we used to help his muscle tone....

Using a lolly pop, we'd stroke his tongue causing it to curl.  Then we'd play "catch the pop" and we'd put it on the outside corners of his mouth or above or below his lips and he'd have to "chase" it with his tongue.  Sucking pudding, applesauce or yogurt through a straw.  When he got good at that, we actually switched to coffee stirrers.   When he's old enough to understand that you don't swallow gum or throw it onto the floor, chewing gum also helps tremendously (my son was about 3.5).  Finally, we got bite sticks from the speech therapist.  We'd put the largest between his back teeth.  I'd place one hand on his chest to keep him upright and pull gently with the other.  Then I'd switch sides.  I'd go through the sticks till we were at the skinniest.