Health A-Z

Medical Content Created by the Faculty of the
Harvard Medical School

Salivary Gland Disorders

Treatment

The treatment varies, depending on the disorder:

• Sialolithiasis. If the stone is located near the end of the duct, your doctor may be able to press it out gently. Deeper stones can be removed with surgery.

• Sialadenitis. Treatment includes:

  • Drinking fluids or receiving fluids intravenously

  • Antibiotics

  • Warm compresses on the infected gland

  • Encouraging saliva flow by chewing sour, sugarless candies or by drinking orange juice

If these methods do not cure the infection, surgery can drain the gland.

• Viral infections. These infections almost always go away on their own. Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms through:

  • Rest

  • Drinking fluids to prevent dehydration

  • Taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) to relieve pain and fever

• Cysts. A small cyst may drain on its own without treatment. Larger cysts can be removed using traditional surgery or laser surgery.

• Benign tumors. Noncancerous tumors usually are removed surgically. In some cases, radiation treatments are given after surgery to prevent the tumor from returning.

• Malignant tumors. Smaller, early stage, low-grade tumors often can be treated with surgery alone. However, larger, high-grade tumors usually require radiation following surgery. Inoperable tumors are treated with radiation or chemotherapy.

• Sjogren's syndrome. The main symptom related to the salivary glands is a dry mouth. Options include:

  • Medication to stimulate more saliva secretion, such as pilocarpine (Salagen) and cevimeline (Evoxac)

  • Sugarless gum and candy to stimulate saliva production

  • Avoiding medications that can make dry mouth worse

  • Not smoking

  Good oral hygiene is a must. People with Sjogren's have teeth and gum problems because of low saliva secretion.

• Sialadenosis. Treatment is aimed at correcting any underlying medical problem. Once the medical problem improves, the salivary glands should shrink to normal size.