Do you really know that stones can occur in your salivary glands? These are the glands found in the mouth and produce saliva every time food is placed in our mouth. Saliva is made up of about 95.5 of water and can even be produced when you think or smell the food. Remaining 0.5 percent ingredients of saliva are minerals and proteins. Saliva helps in food digestion and keeps your teeth healthy as well. Salivary stones can be produced within the saliva glands or saliva ducts. Salivary gland stones are termed as calculi. Salivary gland infections are common to some extent; these are the viral or bacterial infections which are caused by glands producing saliva. The glands can be affected by one of the viral disease – mumps. This sort of infection is now very much rare in children due to the MMR vaccine. On the other hand, bacterial infections are caused because of the obstructions like salivary gland tumor or poor oral hygiene.

The infections are most common in people who are dehydrated. The major reason they happen is because the glands stop flowing as they should. While the flow is good, debris is constantly being washed out of the gland and when the flow is not running as it should, minerals starts attaching with the debris. Ninety percent of these stones are generally created in the submandibular salvia glands. The reason for this is possibly due to their shape and length.

Their chemical makeup is also a perfect place for stones to form. Six percent of all stones are to be found in the Parotid glands — it is exceptional for stones to ever form in the sublingual salvia glands. Salivary glands are composed of network of ducts — saliva flows through them into the mouth. Bacteria can grow in case if the flow is reduced or clogged for some reason.

This might cause an infection known as sialadenitis which is most common in the parotid gland and the submandibular gland. It generally is caused because of the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Saliva flow can be reduced in people who are unwell or getting better from surgery, or in certain aged people. A stone named as sialolith or a kink in the duct can also reduce saliva flow. Diseases that decrease salivary flow like Sjögren’s syndrome might cause sialadenitis. Patients having treatment for cancer also are vulnerable to this infection. Sialadenitis might cause a tender, aching lump in your cheek or under your chin and pus can drain through the gland into your mouth.

See your dentist as soon as you feel you are developing a constant lump or swelling somewhere in your neck, tongue, jaw, neck or hard palate. Never delay and contact your doctor if the lump is painful, red or tender and if you are also having fever and chills. Good oral hygiene can help you in preventing various cases of bacterial infection. However, in a lot of situations salivary gland infection just can’t be prevented.