How does dysphagia occur?
A. Dysphagia occurs when there is a problem during any part of the swallowing process, a complex procedure that includes 50 pairs of muscles and numerous nerves working to move food from the mouth to the stomach. If we were to analyze the swallowing process, we’d recognize three distinct stages. First, the tongue moves food around in the mouth for chewing, which makes the food the right size to swallow, and helps mix the food with saliva. Saliva softens and moistens the food to make swallowing easier, and the tongue collects the prepared food or liquid, making it ready for swallowing. The second stage begins when the tongue pushes the food or liquid to the back of the mouth, which triggers a swallowing reflex that passes the food through the pharynx (the canal that connects the mouth with the esophagus). During this stage, the larynx (voice box) closes tightly and breathing stops to prevent any food or liquid from entering the lungs. During the third stage food or liquid enters the eso
