Child Having Pain Inside Mouth While Drinking. Any Home Remedy?

Posted on Mon, 24 Dec 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 Answered on

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : my 3yr old boy says it hurts his mouth to drink anything. we've tried water XXXXXXX juice and orange juice. and he hasn't eat'n anything for two days. i dont see any spots inside his mouth consistant with hand foot & mouth thing??? how much longer do i wait if all to take him in or is there an at home remedy??

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (4 hours later)

Hi, thanks for using health care magic

It is possible that his pharynx (back of the throat) is inflammed. It would appear redder than usual, they may or may not be pustules present.
After 2 days, he is at risk of dehydration if he does not consume enough liquids, do not worry about eating solid food for now, his appetite will return when he feels better, worry about him not drinking.
Symptoms and signs of dehydration would be lethargy, dry skin, reduced urination, no tears when crying, skin tenting (when the skin is pinched, it stays in that position), increased heart rate.
If he is displaying any indication of the above, he needs immediate evaluation.

Throat infections can be viral or bacterial, most are viral and respond to using cold liquids, oral pain medication to reduce discomfort and in some cases, sprays to numb the painful area.
If there are no other symptoms and no indication of dehydration then you may want to try the above for a day to see if the use of pain meds help him to drink.

Hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar