Salivary gland stones
Overview
Salivary gland stones are small stones that form in salivary glands in your mouth and can block the flow of saliva (spit). They're not usually serious and you may be able to remove them yourself.
Symptoms
Most salivary gland stones form below your tongue in one of the glands supplying saliva to your mouth. You cannot always see them. Salivary gland stones may cause: dull pain in your mouth that comes and goesswelling in your mouth that flares up from time to timean infection around the stone – signs of infection include pain, redness and a high temperature If you feel intense pain during mealtimes, this could mean the stone is completely blocking a saliva gland. The pain usually lasts 1 to 2 hours.
Causes
It's not clear what causes salivary gland stones, so there's no way to prevent them. They're not usually linked to other health problems. Once removed, salivary gland stones do not usually come back. But if you keep getting them you might need to have 1 of your salivary glands removed.
Treatment
Small salivary gland stones sometimes fall out on their own. You’ll continue to have symptoms until the stone falls out or is removed. A GP may attempt to gently remove the stone with a thin, blunt instrument. If that's not possible, you may need to have the stone removed in hospital.