Salivary gland stones/Sialolithiasis

Salivary gland stones are small stones that form in salivary glands in your mouth and can block the flow of saliva. They cause recurrent swelling of the salivary glands on eating and drinking.

Most stones appear below your tongue in one of the tubes (glands) supplying saliva to your mouth. These are in the submandibular salivary gland ducts in the floor of the mouth.

If you feel intense pain during mealtimes, this could mean the stone is completely blocking a saliva gland. The pain usually lasts 1 to 2 hours.

Mr. Dhanasekar would initiate conservative treatment initially. The aim is to clear or unblock the drainage tubes by doing things to increase saliva production, such as sucking a lemon and drinking plenty of water. He can also remove the stones by simple surgery or rarely this would necessitate removal of the affected submandibular salivary gland.