Blocked saliva gland

[condor]

A few months ago I woke up with a very swollen lower jaw, and thought it might be a tooth abcess, even though I didn't have toothache.Went to the Docs to get some antibiotics and he said it was a blocked saliva gland and to be rid of it I needed to massage my lower jaw and chew on lemons to encourage the gland to work ( I use a Jif lemon and squirt the offending gland).
After the initial course of antibiotics everything settled down...but in the last few weeks it's back again.
Obviously this is now going to be a recurring problem...so is there another way to sort it?

[Driller]

You could well have a salivary stone blocking the duct which may need removing. Go and see your dentist and see what he says, sometimes you can see the stone on a radiograph.

[condor]

Thanks

edited to add.....what is involved with removing a saliva gland stone

Edited by condor on Thursday 18th June 21:36

[drjazz]

Have a look at this;

http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23069166/

[condor]

Thanks for that...been to the docs this morning, on antibiotics and waiting for an appointment to have some dye injected.

[ShadownINja]

Wow. A few centimetres in diameter is possible!

Get well soon, condor!

[condor]

Day 4 of the antibiotics and the swelling has lessenned to such an extent that I can feel the outline of a pea shaped lump...guessing that that is the stone.
So thankfully not too big

[condor]

An update

I had the dye-injected stuff done at the end of July, and there wasn't a stone, everything was working as it should.
I still had/have the hard pea shape cyst and a softer cyst on the other side of the lower jaw bone...and today had an appointment at the oral-maxillo-facial & orthodontic department of the local hospital to check for oral cancer. Diagnosis, a tooth abscess, requiring removal of tooth.

I always thought that a tooth abscess had to hurt, but apparently that's not the case. Because the tooth didn't hurt is why it was thought it was a blocked saliva gland, and even now I can't quite work out how I've had a tooth abscess for all these months and I've not been feeling pain or ill.

An appointment is being made for the tooth extraction, but does anyone know if there is another way to fix this? ie less extreme.

[Munter]

I suspect thats an answer anybody who's qualified to answer can't do without seeing the x-ray etc.

[condor]

The x-ray showed the back tooth with black surrounding the roots, and the doctor just said it was an abscess and the tooth had to come out. He used the analogy of a splinter in your finger ie it would continue to become infected until the splinter came out.
I had my wisdom teeth taken out many years ago, and not too happy with the idea I'm going to lose a molar.



edited to add, that I'm very fortunate I haven't got oral cancer, which is what I was being seen for.

Edited by condor on Monday 26th October 14:30

[Rach*]

Have you asked the max-fax consultant if there's another option?

Did you see a general dental practioner at anytime? Are you registered with a dentist?

[condor]

Rach* said:

Have you asked the max-fax consultant if there's another option?

Did you see a general dental practioner at anytime? Are you registered with a dentist?

The max-fax consultant, ( I don't know what they are supposed to be specialists in...but presumably oral cancer), was quite adamant that the tooth had to be removed.
I don't have an NHS dentist. I saw a private one about a year or so ago who charged me £148 for a 20 minute consultation - he then wanted £360 to arrange a peri-dental assessment. I told him he was far too expensive and I would need to find someone cheaper.

I always thought that a tooth abscess was painful, and due to the swellings being at the base of the lower jaw, it wasn't considered a likely cause. When I was being checked out for a saliva gland stone - I had an ultrasound on the jaw surround, and I'd have thought if it was a tooth abscess that was the culprit it would have been picked up then.

[speedychrissie]

diagnosing over the internet is at best conjecture, but as you have asked I will give my opinion.

"black around the roots on the x-ray" sounds like an abscess. Yes you are right that normally it is associated with (or preceeded by) dental pain, but that doesn't occur in all cases.

Regarding treatment:
Any infection like that needs some definitive treatment. Just prescribing antibiotics is not enough as drainage will also be required. Some abscesses can be drained by making an incision, but often extraction of the tooth or removal of the nerve (so that drainage can be obtained through the tooth) are the best options. It would be impossible to tell whether removal of the nerve is possible or sensible in your case without seeing the x-rays. If you did decide to go for this option you would need to get the tooth root-filled and probably crowned. This would require a handful of visits to a dentist and would cost between £200 and £1000 depending on NHS vs private and who you go to.

Where are you based? If you are near a dental teaching hospital (which seems likely as many max-fax departments are associated with them) then you could ask about whether you are a suitable case for their undergraduate training program. Basically it is free dental work provided by students who are well supervised. The level of work is normally very high, but it will just take a fair bit longer than if you pay a fully qualified dentist.

I hope that helps.

[condor]

Yes thanks it does. I'm based in Bedford and so the nearest teaching hospital would probably be in London.Might be useful for London folk to know about though.
I've been given an appointment date for the extraction, an early morning cancellation in the week before Christmas.