Sialoliths (Salivary Stones; Calcified Salivary Glands)

[EnolaGaia]

I'd run across mention of salivary calcification before, but I didn't realize they were as common (though still relatively rare) as they are.

Giant Salivary Stone Growing in Man's Mouth Was So Big It Was Mistaken For a Tooth

A giant salivary stone, as big as an adult tooth, was recently found growing in the lower jaw of a 37-year-old male patient.

That's not something dentists deal with every day. At first, the intense swelling and pain was misdiagnosed as an impacted tooth, which refers to 'hidden' teeth that have failed to erupt from the gums.

But when an ultrasound was ordered, the practitioner found something else entirely: a shadow, two centimetres long, in the lower right salivary gland; this was clearly no tooth.

In surgery, a giant sialolith, or calcified salivary gland, was removed from the patient's jaw. Soon after, the pain and swelling diminished. ...

Such calcified stones are one of the most common issues associated with salivary glands - affecting 12 out of 1,000 adults each year - but obstructions greater than 1.5 centimetres are rare.

Perhaps as a result of their novelty, these extreme cases are also well-documented, and so far, it looks as though the issue of giant salivary stones almost exclusively affects men, especially those in their 40s, 50s and 60s. ...

SOURCE (With X-Rays): https://www.sciencealert.com/this-p...nt-dentists-thought-it-was-an-intrusive-molar

 

[hunck]

I wonder if I've got one.

A couple of years ago one Saturday I was eating dinner, a pizza as it happens, when I became aware that the side of my face was feeling a bit 'tight'. It soon became apparent that the top of my neck, jaw, & side of face, was swelling alarmingly & rapidly. In the space of about 5 mins it had ballooned out, seriously freaking me out wondering wtf was happening.

I took a rapid trip to A&E where, after a couple of hours wait during which time the swelling had largely reduced, I was seen & it was diagnosed as a blocked salivary gland.

A similar thing happened a couple of weeks ago but this time, knowing the likely cause, I didn't get so freaked. It lasted about an hour.