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My Grandma started smacking while eaing about six to eight weeks ago. It has gotten increasingly worse and is literally driving me crazy. She smacked like this about three to five years ago for maybe two to three months, then stopped.

She's not smacking the entire time she's eating, thankfully. It appears to happen when she opens her mouth when she's done chewing. So she chews quietly, then opens her mouth when she's done which produces the smacking sound. It appears she's only opening her mouth slightly, perhaps to breathe or something. She's not necessarily ready to take another bite at this point. She normally does not breathe with her mouth open so I'm not sure why she's slightly parting her lips like that. Sometimes it appears there's something more going on there, but I'm not sure how to describe it.

Does anyone know what the cause of this smacking could be? It's really creating problems. I cannot stand to eat with her anymore. I eat somewhere else except for supper. Now we eat supper in the living room so I can turn the TV up loud to drown out the smacking sound. Lunch creates the loudest smacking with the sandwiches. It doesn't matter what type of sandwich, it's all equally loud and disgusting. Even my mom (Grandma's daughter) is annoyed by this and she doesn't usually get annoyed by these types of things.

I'm not sure if there's a medical reason like dry mouth or denture problems (poor grip?). Or maybe she's developed a bad habit. I was planning to sneak around and hide near her when she eats her next sandwich to see if she smacks when she's alone (or thinks she's alone).

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Her social filters are gone. Table manners are taught, but dementia slowly erases them.
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I found this thread about lip smacking from a couple of years ago. I know that you say your grandmother does it only when eating, but, still there are some good tips here.

You might discuss it with her doctor and dentist. It could be any number of things, including medication, seizures, dementia, etc.

I'd try to be understanding about it. She likely isn't trying to be annoying. I would suspect that she doesn't even realize it. I'd be extra sweet to her and try to help figure it out. And if it can't be helped, try to use patience and accept it. Some seniors take swings at people or throw food at them. I'd count my blessings with the smacking.

https://www.agingcare.com/questions/someone-exhibits-constant-lip-smacking-170756.htm
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From the way you describe it, it sounds as if she's having trouble coordinating eating and breathing at the same time. So she chews, swallows, then because she's been holding her breath meanwhile she opens her mouth to take a deep breath, do you think?

Or - she hasn't got a slightly blocked nose or anything silly like that, has she?
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