Blocked salivary gland?

[MountainMama]

Do blocked salivary glands happen often in the same spot? I went to the dentist on Jan. 12 because I had a white “pimple” looking thing right under and behind my lower 2nd molar. It was red and irritated looking but popped before I got to the dentist. He said it was likely a blocked salivary gland and not to worry unless it kept returning.

It is coming back. It has been sore but today I noticed it is turning white and swelling again. I called the dentist and the receptionist said she would let the dental assistant know and have them call me. They never called and now they are closed until Monday.

Is there anything I can do to help it pop or drain so it isn’t so painful?

 

[superjen]

Maybe go to a medical doctor?

 

[MountainMama]

Maybe go to a medical doctor?

My health insurance is high deductible, so any doctor’s appointment is going to be out of pocket, which ends up costing $265. I typically don’t go to the doctor unless it is preventative care (which is covered 100), or an emergency. I wouldn’t qualify this as an emergency. It is sore but not extremely painful.

 

[superjen]

I get that. We used to have a policy where we paid the first $5000 of medical expenses out of pocket. It would take a lot for me to go in.

I hope you get help Monday morning. You've been through enough with your mouth.

 

[MountainMama]

I get that. We used to have a policy where we paid the first $5000 of medical expenses out of pocket. It would take a lot for me to go in.

I hope you get help Monday morning. You've been through enough with your mouth.

Yeah, we pay the first $6000 out of pocket. ?

It stopped being sore and now is swollen and yellowish. It doesn’t hurt though. It is the exact same as last time. So I am guessing it will eventually burst again. I am going to clean it with chlorhexidine for now. Not much else I can do I guess.

 

[Gordon]

Maybe go to a medical doctor?

My son is a medical doctor (twice as smart as me and extremely well qualified in his field). He knows absolutely zero about dental issues. He got 2 lectures on dental stuff as an undergraduate and basically tells patients to go to a dentist if they have any oral issues.

It sounds like there's something causing some trauma to the duct exit, basically the exit of the duct gets swollen and blocks the saliva from coming out.
If it's a minor gland then I'd think about removing it surgically if it happens again.

You might be able to massage it a bit and squeeze the saliva build up out.

 

[MountainMama]

My son is a medical doctor (twice as smart as me and extremely well qualified in his field). He knows absolutely zero about dental issues. He got 2 lectures on dental stuff as an undergraduate and basically tells patients to go to a dentist if they have any oral issues.

It sounds like there's something causing some trauma to the duct exit, basically the exit of the duct gets swollen and blocks the saliva from coming out.
If it's a minor gland then I'd think about removing it surgically if it happens again.

You might be able to massage it a bit and squeeze the saliva build up out.

Thank you. It “popped”, for lack of a better word, last night, and doesn’t hurt anymore. This is the second time, though, so if it happens again, I will ask about having it removed.

How do you know if it is a minor gland? Also, how do you remove it? I am very curious as to how you remove a salivary gland…surprisingly I do not get anxiety about stuff like that. I only get anxious when my teeth are involved. Would I go through my dentist?

 

[MountainMama]

Oh and now I can feel it swelling again, already more from when it went down last night. It feels “squishy” in that spot, like a blister.

 

[Gordon]

Location and anatomy, minor glands are all over your mouth, but there are only 3 major ones, with large well defined exits. None of them are near where you're describing. It's hard to mistake them

You'd just make a small incision round the area in a sort of cone shape a couple of mm deep and take out the gland like coring an apple. Your dentist will probably refer you to an oral surgeon to do it though unless they're keen on doing surgery themselves.

 

[MountainMama]

Location and anatomy, minor glands are all over your mouth, but there are only 3 major ones, with large well defined exits. None of them are near where you're describing. It's hard to mistake them

You'd just make a small incision round the area in a sort of cone shape a couple of mm deep and take out the gland like coring an apple. Your dentist will probably refer you to an oral surgeon to do it though unless they're keen on doing surgery themselves.

So it is a fairly uncomplicated procedure. Good. Yeah, I would guess my dentist would refer me to the oral surgeon for that. I will ask him about it. The spot went back down again but I would guess this is going to be a recurring issue.

Thanks for your help! At least I know it isn’t anything to really worry about.

 

[Gordon]

It might not be, usually they recover, as long as the trauma isn't repeated.
Football referees get them regularly (other sports probably too!) because of the whistle permanently pressing against their lower lips

 

[MountainMama]

It might not be, usually they recover, as long as the trauma isn't repeated.
Football referees get them regularly (other sports probably too!) because of the whistle permanently pressing against their lower lips

I have no idea what trauma would have caused it. I don’t eat hard or crunchy food anymore, and it isn’t in a spot where I would be able to bite it or hit it with anything. So weird. The dentist had mentioned last time that maybe a bit of food got stuck in it, which he said was unusual but possible. It happening again is odd though.

I seem to be a magnet for the unusual happenings. ?