Inflammation of the salivary gland - symptoms

Even very small children know the fact that saliva is secreted in our mouths, but only doctors know about the organs that give saliva and about their quantity, as a rule, only physicians. But this state of affairs is completely wrong, because the salivary glands, they are the ones that synthesize saliva, can get sick, and you will not have a clue what to do with it. So let's deal with the symptoms of salivary gland inflammation, while we are still in full health.

Location of the salivary glands

But before you start talking about the symptoms of inflammation of the salivary gland, let's take up an anatomy a little. After all, before you study pathology, you should study a healthy organ, otherwise nothing you will not understand.

So, in the human body there are 3 pairs of salivary glands:

  1. Parotid salivary glands. These are the largest organs of all the salivary glands. They are located slightly in front and slightly below the auricle, and their ducts open above the small molars of the upper jaw.
  2. Submandibular salivary glands. They are much smaller than the previous ones, their location is under the jaw, just below the very back molars.
  3. Sublingual salivary glands. They are even smaller, their location is the mucous membrane of the mouth on both sides of the tongue.

Thus, we have 3 different glands on each side. All together, they produce saliva, which moistens the mouth, preventing it from drying out, and also participates in the primary processing of the food that is chewed. But this is normal, but what happens when one of the glands or their pair becomes inflamed?

Inflammation of the salivary gland - symptoms

When one or more salivary glands become inflamed, a number of unpleasant sensations arise. Here is a general list of symptoms for inflammation of the submaxillary, parotid, or sublingual salivary gland:

Inflammation, like submandibular salivary gland, and other glands can occur in several stages. Calculous inflammation of the salivary glands is, as a rule, the first stage, conditioned and limited by the above listed symptoms. If the infection turned out to be too active, and the resistance of the body is reduced, and even the patient himself has neglected to consult a doctor in time, a purulent inflammation of the salivary gland can begin, which will have to be treated surgically.

And, finally, like the inflammation of any other organ, the inflammation of the salivary gland can be acute and chronic. Acute inflammation of any of the glands with timely access to a doctor is cured quickly and effectively. But if a patient lingers on a visit to a polyclinic, poorly complies with the instructions of specialists, does not care about proper oral hygiene , the disease takes a chronic form.

Symptoms of inflammation of the salivary gland, depending on its location

We already said about the common symptoms of inflammation of the salivary gland, now we need to make the picture a little more specific. After all, in spite of the fact that all the salivary glands have the same function, they are located in different places, therefore, apart from the general, they have an individual symptomatology.

For example, with inflammation of the submandibular salivary gland, the main symptoms are swelling of the chin and upper neck, as well as pain when swallowing food. When parotid salivary glands are affected, it is painful to turn your head to the affected side, open your mouth and generally move your head, and the inflamed side of the face swells and turns red. For any of the signs that speak about the inflammation of the salivary gland, you should immediately consult a doctor.