Introduction
Swelling of the mouth is relatively common. They usually originate from the oral mucosa and can be caused by numerous diseases. They are usually accompanied by severe pain, especially when chewing, or difficulty swallowing.
The most common causes of painful swellings in the mouth are dental diseases, such as caries or dental root inflammation. But salivary glands can also become inflamed and lead to painful swelling. Regular cooling, calming teas such as camomile tea or sage tea, as well as anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen or paracetamol are the best remedies for swelling.
Causes
The most common causes of swelling in the mouth are dental diseases, for example caries or inflammation of the tooth root. They often lead to intense, drilling pain and a severe swelling of the cheek. Even after dental surgery, for example after the removal of wisdom teeth, local trauma can lead to severe, painful swelling in the mouth area.
Other causes of swelling in the mouth area are inflammation of the salivary glands. Salivary glands can be inflamed either by salivary stones, which block the gland’s excretory duct and cause secretion congestion, or by viruses and bacteria. The parotid gland in particular can become inflamed easily.
A very well-known disease that leads to inflammation of the parotid gland is mumps. Nowadays, however, mumps is rather rare in Germany thanks to a vaccination. Mumps always leads to a painful swelling of the parotid gland, which first begins unilaterally and in the course of time also affects the other parotid gland.
The allergic reaction must always be distinguished from the infectious-inflammatory causes of swelling in the mouth. In allergy sufferers, typical allergic symptoms can occur after oral intake of an allergen. These include severe swelling of the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose and throat ,which can be accompanied by itching, rashes, a furry feeling on the tongue and life-threatening obstruction of the airways.
An allergic reaction is always an emergency and an emergency doctor should always be called. Ultimately, however, tumors, for example carcinoma of the floor of the mouth or tumors of the salivary glands, can also become noticeable as swelling in the mouth. Tumors of the salivary glands are often painless and usually only become noticeable by a slow, increasing swelling in the mouth/cheek area.
Oral floor carcinomas, on the other hand, are often accompanied by painful swelling in the mouth and swallowing difficulties. Risk factors for both types of tumors are smoking, alcoholism, poor oral hygiene and ionizing radiation. A prolonged, growing, painful or painless swelling in the mouth should always be clarified by an ENT specialist or dentist.
A swelling of the upper jaw usually occurs as a result of dental diseases, for example caries. However, it can also occur as a result of allergic reactions, or when eating too hot or sharp-edged food. In the latter case, there is an injury to the oral mucosa in the area of the palate, which can also be accompanied by a slight swelling of the palate, but usually disappears within a few hours.
Another cause of swelling in the upper jaw is surgery or operations on the teeth or mouth. Swelling in the lower jaw is also usually the result of dental diseases or operations or interventions in the mouth area. But also an inflammation of the small salivary gland, the so-called glandula submandibularis and glandula sublingualis, can lead to a swelling of the floor of the mouth.
The two salivary glands mentioned above are located in the floor of the mouth, below the tongue, and together with the parotid gland form the saliva. They are at risk for the formation of salivary stones, which can clog the excretory ducts of the glands. They are usually accompanied by sudden pain when eating and swelling of the floor of the mouth.
Tumors of the salivary glands can lead to a painless, slowly increasing swelling in the lower part of the mouth. The most common cause of unilateral swelling of the cheek is inflammation of the teeth, or inflammation of the parotid gland, especially those affecting the molars or wisdom teeth. They are often very painful and are accompanied by a high level of suffering for the person affected and should always be treated by a dentist.
Another cause of swelling of the cheek is diseases of the parotid gland.The parotid gland is in pairs and is located below the zygomatic arch, approximately at the level of the ear and lies directly under the skin. It forms the largest part of the saliva. Its excretory duct opens directly above the second molar, in the space between the inside of the cheek and the row of teeth.
A one-sided, painful swelling of the parotid gland often indicates an inflammation of the parotid gland. Pathogens can be bacteria, often staphylococci, but also mumps virus. Risk factors for an inflammation with staphylococci are mainly a reduced salivary flow and a weakness of the immune system.
An infection with the mumps virus is nowadays rather rare due to the vaccination. Mumps is accompanied by a severe, painful swelling in the cheek accompanied by high fever, pain when chewing and a high feeling of illness. Often children aged 2-15 years are affected.
Therapeutically, only cooling compresses, drinking soothing, anti-inflammatory teas and, if necessary, taking painkillers can help. Mumps can often lead to severe concomitant diseases, such as inflammation of the testicles, pancreas or even the meninges. A one-sided painless swelling of the cheek can indicate a tumor of the parotid gland and should be examined by an ENT specialist.
Risk factors are mainly long-term smoking and ionizing radiation. Swelling on both sides of the cheeks can occur in the course of a mumps infection and in the case of sialadenosis. The latter is a repeated, non-inflammatory, non-painful swelling of the parotid glands. The causes can be alcohol abuse, poorly controlled diabetes mellitus, but also eating disorders associated with malnutrition. Therapeutically, treatment of the underlying disease is recommended here.
