Latest / The Cranial Doc | A Chiropractic & Cranial Mastery Show for Pediatric, Family, and Neurologically-based Chiropractors
Episode 9 - Why Babies Gag, Kids Refuse Toothbrushing, and Adults Clench: Same Mechanism
Most people think the gag reflex is a "mouth thing."
It's not.
It's a brainstem survival reflex — and it shows up in different outfits depending on age:
Babies gag, cough, fatigue, pop off the breast/bottle
Toddlers melt down during oral care
Adults "don't gag"… they just clench their jaw like they're trying to crack walnuts in their sleep
The dentist? That's where the whole system gets exposed
In this episode, I break down the actual neuroanatomy of the gag reflex (CN IX → brainstem → NTS → CN X + friends), and why the real clinical issue isn't the reflex itself…
It's how early it fires…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.