Our teams of experts specialize in the minimally invasive treatment of parotid gland tumors and disorders. Call 310.461.0300 to schedule an appointment.
2. Sialolithiasis (salivary gland stone) is the most common disease
of the salivary glands, affecting 12 in 1000 people in the adult
population. It can occur at any age and most commonly occurs
in the salivary glands that are located under your jaw, called
submandibular glands. They also occur in the parotid gland,
which is located in your cheek. These occur when calcium
deposits in the duct of the gland, blocking the flow of saliva,
causing pain and discomfort associated with eating.
When flow of saliva through the salivary gland slows down,
material in the duct can form stones. These stones block the
outflow of saliva, causing swelling and pain in the gland. Stones
can form in any of the major salivary glands. These include the
parotid gland and the submandibular gland. When you find out
that you are having acute pain in your mouth, jaws and cheeks
along with pain while you eat and your face has swelling you
must consult the doctors of Parotid MD.
3. Symptoms suggestive of stones should be evaluated by an Ear,
Nose, and Throat physician that specializes in salivary gland
disease. You should have a careful examination and may also
have a CT scan done to confirm the presence of a stone.
Surgery could include removal of the entire salivary gland and
duct or marsupialization of the duct with stone removal. Other
methods of treatment focused on prevention are massaging of
the gland to manually move stones through the system,
preventing large stone formation.
Antibiotics to prevent infection from duct obstruction. These
measures are temporary but they certainly help for time being.
Sialendoscopy is modern treatment for removing Salivary
Stone. Sialendoscopy is a cutting edge procedure that allows
successful stone removal without injury to surrounding
structures, avoiding overly aggressive surgery. There is no
incision and patients are able to return to a normal diet with
normal salivary gland function in all of their salivary glands.
Sialendoscopy involves the use of miniature endoscopes to
enter the small ducts of the salivary system in search of
disease.
4. The most common disease processes obstructing the salivary
gland duct are stone of the duct from chronic inflammation.
Once the problem is identified, it can be treated by a variety of
methods, all of which spare total gland removal. This would
include stone removal to relieve blockage or duct dilation to
prevent recurrent obstruction. For more details contact us at:
http://www.parotidmd.com/salivary-gland-stones/