When you eat, it probably feels so natural that you don’t consider the process behind it; all you have to worry about is enjoying the food. Unfortunately, not everyone has this luxury. For example, children have to learn how to eat. At the beginning, they don’t eat solid food, meaning that they have to eat from a spoon or drink from their bottle. Once they start eating solid foods, it gets even more complicated. When they’re learning, there are 3 different stages of swallowing that may struggle with. (Related topics: best pediatric dentist Midland Park, best children’s dentist Midland Park)
- First Stage – The first stage is the oral stage, in which they suck, chew, or move liquid into the throat. During this phase, it’s possible for a child to have difficulty creating a seal around the spoon with their lips, chewing solid food, forming chewed food into a bolus, or moving the food to the back of their mouth.
- Second Stage – This is the pharyngeal phase, which includes starting the swallow and moving the food down their throat. When food or liquid moves into the throat before the swallow is triggered, it causes the food to touch the vocal cords. This can cause coughing or choking.
- Third Stage – The last stage is the esophageal phase, which includes the opening and closing of the esophagus. The esophagus should move food into the stomach, but if it has problems then it could cause the food to get stuck. This could cause heartburn, vomiting, or abdominal pain.
There are many different reasons why a child could experience swallowing disorders. Some of the reasons include: nervous system disorders, cleft lip, breathing problems, autism, muscle weakness in the face and neck, and stomach problems, to name a few. Not only could this cause choking or stomach problems, but also malnutrition. This is why it’s important to identify the problems early-on.
If your child is experiencing complications with swallowing, you should make an appointment with our best pediatric dentist in Glen Rock. Not only do we have the best pediatric dentists in Glen Rock, but we have a diverse team of professionals, including speech and language pathologists. At your appointment, our best pediatric dentist in Glen Rock will deep clean your child’s teeth to prevent cavities, while the speech and language pathologists diagnose swallowing problems and create a treatment plan for your child.
