Accompanying swelling
Pain in the parotid gland is often accompanied by swelling of the cheek. This is the case with parotid gland inflammation, for example. A swollen parotid gland is typical of the children’s disease mumps, which is also an inflammation of the gland.
Pain and swelling usually occur on one side. Other accompanying symptoms are hot and reddened skin in the area above the parotid gland and painful pressure on the gland. With mumps or in rare other cases, the symptoms occur on both sides.
The pain usually increases when chewing, as saliva is then produced more frequently. Since the parotid glands border on the temporomandibular joint and the chewing muscles, the affected person can often barely open their mouth. Inflammation also leads to swallowing difficulties. Since the infection is in the body, it usually reacts with fever and swollen lymph nodes in the area of the gland. You can read more detailed information about this here: Swelling of the parotid gland
Pain without swelling
Parotid gland pain can also occur without swelling. It can still be an inflammation of the parotid gland. The symptoms vary from person to person.
However, small salivary stones that narrow the parotid gland’s excretory duct can also be the cause of pain without swelling. Often the pain occurs at night, as the salivary flow is then reduced. Massages of the parotid gland or sugar-free chewing gums or sweets help to stimulate the salivary flow and loosen the stones.
Therapy
What can be done about parotid gland pain depends on the cause. This must therefore be clarified and a doctor should be consulted, especially in the case of persistent pain or accompanying symptoms such as fever.To be able to detect salivary gland inflammation, a blood test should be performed. If this is confirmed, anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers are usually prescribed.
If it is a bacterial infection, an antibiotic should also be taken. An ultrasound examination allows the doctor to detect any salivary stones or tumors. If salivary stones are present, special massages of the parotid gland can help to loosen the stones and transport them to the outside.
In addition, sugar-free chewing gums or sweets can stimulate the flow of saliva and possibly cause the salivary stones to come off. A sufficient amount to drink is also important. However, this only works with smaller stones; larger salivary stones can be crushed from the outside by shock waves.
This is called extracorporeal shock wave therapy. Larger stones can also be removed by an endoscopic procedure and narrowed glandular ducts can be widened. If a salivary gland is constantly inflamed or if a tumor is found, it may be necessary to remove the parotid gland.
It is very important to treat an inflammation of the parotid gland in time, otherwise there is a risk of an abscess and in the worst case of blood poisoning. Above all, care should be taken to maintain adequate oral hygiene during any therapy. The most important thing when the parotid gland is in pain is to maintain strict oral hygiene.
This includes above all regular brushing of the teeth. It is also important to drink enough to ensure a good salivary flow. This is especially important for older people, as they have a reduced need to drink.
This can reduce the formation of salivary stones. In addition, chewing sugar-free chewing gum or sucking sweets can help to stimulate salivary flow and thus contribute to a reduced risk of salivary stones. Alternatively, gherkins can be sucked, which also stimulate salivary flow.