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A letter on coronavirus awareness from Cameo Dental Specialists

How a Salivary Gland Infection Presents


Posted on 10/25/2019 by Vladana Babcic Tal DMD
How a Salivary Gland Infection PresentsThe saliva glands play an important role in your oral health. The saliva helps remove bacteria and debris from the mouth and can help prevent problems from occurring. If you have an infection of the salivary gland, you may not get the protection you need from the saliva. An infection of the salivary gland will have signs. Learning the signs can help you get the treatment you need to restore the health of your salivary gland.

How it Happens
Part of learning the signs of a salivary gland infection require understanding what it is and how it happens. You have three pairs of major salivary glands. A salivary gland infection can be bacterial or viral although the bacterial is the most common.

There are plenty of bacteria in your mouth. Some are harmless and some can lead to problems including infection. The presence of bacteria is why it is important to brush and floss regularly. This can help remove the bacteria and debris that can lead to problems. The body's natural defense against the bacteria is saliva. The saliva works to continually wash away the bacteria. If it does not do this job the way it should, it can lead to a bacterial infection of the salivary glands. If you are suffering from some type of viral infection, it is possible that it can also spread to the salivary glands.

What to Look For

If the salivary glands are not producing enough saliva, they will not wash away the bacteria and that can lead to the infection. If the salivary glands are blocked in any way, that can limit the production of saliva. You will notice a dry mouth when this happens.

Other signs include a foul taste in the mouth, pus in the mouth, difficulty opening the mouth fully, pain or discomfort when opening the mouth and swelling. You should also look at other signs of infection that include fever and chills. When you notice this, it is important to visit our office to treat the infection and the symptoms.

Whenever you are experiencing oral health issues, contact our office to schedule an appointment.
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