What Are Salivary Gland Stones?

It grows in the three pairs of salivary glands (parotid gland, sublingual gland, submandibular gland) of the human body, also known as "saliva". This is because the saliva is too thick and bacterial invasion, causing inflammation, stasis of saliva, precipitation of calcium salts, and agglomeration. The stones vary in size, as big as eggs and as small as sesame; they are white, pale yellow, or brownish yellow, and the longer they form, the deeper the color.

Salivary gland stones

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It grows in the three pairs of salivary glands (parotid gland, sublingual gland, submandibular gland) of the human body, also known as "saliva". This is because the saliva is too thick and bacterial invasion, causing inflammation, stasis of saliva, precipitation of calcium salts, and formation of stones. The stones vary in size, as big as eggs and as small as sesame; they are white, pale yellow, or brownish yellow, and the longer they form, the deeper the color.

Chinese name

Salivary gland stones

Attributes

stone

Nature

noun

Subject

medicine

The stones that grow in the parotid, submandibular, or sublingual glands are collectively referred to as salivary gland stones. A series of pathological changes concurrent with it are called salivary stones, which are common oral diseases. Most commonly found in the submandibular gland, followed by the parotid gland, and the sublingual gland is rare. Salivary gland stones occur mostly in young adults, and are more common in men than women. The cause of salivary gland stones has not yet been determined. Current research believes that changes in the concentration of saliva organic components, bacterial infections and inflammation, and systemic factors can affect the electrolyte balance of saliva, leading to destruction of the supersaturated state of inorganic substances, precipitation and deposition of inorganic salts such as calcium phosphate crystals, and the formation of stones. . In addition to these specific factors, the narrowness, twisting, foreign bodies, mucus emboli, and polyps of each salivary gland duct are the causes of stones and blockages. Among them, the submandibular gland catheter is the longest, and the walking direction is from the bottom to the top. After the submandibular gland is separated, it bends slightly, which weakens the peristalsis of the catheter wall, and the saliva runs slowly.

Whenever eating or drinking an acidic beverage, or even just smelling the acidity, saliva is stimulated by taste and smell, and the conditioned reflex causes the salivary glands to secrete a lot of saliva to help digestion. Because the salivary gland stones block the catheter, the fluid secreted by the salivary glands cannot be drained. Then the cheeks or chins slowly bulged up like balloons, causing pain. However, if the stones are not large and the catheter is not completely blocked, the bulge will slowly swell after eating. Obviously, this kind of pain is different from general inflammatory pain. Its main feature is pain when eating, and other inflammations in the mouth are generally not related to eating. Therefore, when eating cheeks or chin pain, salivary gland stones are often the cause.

There are two conservative and surgical treatments for obstructive salivary adenopathy. Conservative treatment is mainly used for mild patients to massage the glands and stimulate saliva, which can only temporarily relieve the clinical symptoms of the patient, but cannot achieve the purpose of removing obstruction completely. Surgery is mainly for the purpose of radical surgery, including catheterization and stone removal, glandectomy; the latter has major injuries and complications. Glandectomy may leave surgical scars on the face. Parotid surgery also risks damaging the facial nerve. After the glands are removed, saliva secretion is reduced, which may cause dry mouth, reduce the oral defense function, and be prone to complications such as dental caries and oral mucosal disease. It is therefore best to keep the glands, as this will reduce many complications. If stone removal is performed under local anesthesia through endoscopic surgery, it is safe and simple, the effect is exact, the complications are few, and there is no scar left by the skin incision. Another method is the salivary gland endoscope, which uses minimally invasive surgical technology to reduce surgical trauma and retain glandular function. It is a transformation of salivary gland treatment from traditional removal surgery to organ retention surgery, which achieves minimally invasive treatment. It has the characteristics of the best internal environment stability, the smallest surgical incision, the lightest systemic inflammatory response, and the smallest scar healing. It helps to ensure the prognosis and quality of life of patients with salivary gland stones.