How to push a salivary stone out? What are the natural treatments for salivary calculus? Medical treatments for salivary calculi? What are the causes? What are the symptoms? Are they painful? Are they dangerous? And finally, can they be prevented?
I. What Is Salivary Stone?
Salivary calculus or sialolithiasis is the formation of stones in the area of a salivary gland, usually in the salivary duct rather than in the gland itself.
Because of this small stone, it happens that the canal through which the saliva flows is blocked. The obstruction can be complete or partial.
Lithiasis can affect both the parotid gland and the secondary salivary glands. But usually, it is the submaxillary gland that is most affected.
II. Causes of Salivary Stone
The primary cause of salivary stones is a high level of calcium in the blood and saliva.
This can be the result of a long period of dehydration, especially during hot weather.
Another cause of a salivary stone is the presence of micro stones or a plug-in in the mucous membrane area.
It is important to note that salivary calculi do not form immediately. It takes several months before the first symptoms appear.
III. Salivary Stones: Symptoms
During the latency period, there is no manifestation. Then, pain is the first sign of a salivary stone. The impression of a foreign body, as well as redness and swelling, are the symptoms of lithiasis.
When the salivary gland becomes infected, the pain becomes greater and you may have difficulty speaking and swallowing. You may also have a swollen salivary gland.
If the lithiasis is still not treated, the gland may become necrotic. It is then sensitive to the touch.
IV. How to Push a Salivary Stone Out (Medical Treatments)
1. Drug Treatment
Treatment starts with a medical diagnosis, which eliminates other probable causes such as mumps or parotitis.
Once the diagnosis has been made, the goal is to dilate the blocked salivary duct to allow the removal of the stone.
To do this, medications that increase salivary production are prescribed. In addition, antispasmodics and anti-inflammatories are also part of the prescription.
To prevent the infection in the salivary gland from spreading, broad-spectrum antibiotics are also prescribed.
2. Surgical Treatment
Surgical treatment can be a sialendoscopy. This operation is done in the case of single lithiasis, and allows, under local anesthesia, to extract the stone.
Glandular removal is a truly radical treatment.
The objective of the surgical treatment is to remove the stone. In most cases, the removal can be done under local anesthesia, but it may be necessary to use general anesthesia.
Depending on the size of the stone, sialendoscopy or sialendoscopy and lithotripsy may be performed. For larger stones, a small endobuccal surgery is performed.
V. How to Push a Salivary Stone Out ( 6 Natural Treatments)
1. Drink Lots of Fluids and Water
Drinking plenty of water and fluids is a good way to not only prevent stone formation but also to counteract it if it has already occurred.
Keeping yourself well hydrated will increase your saliva production. Remember that salivary stones often occur because of severe dehydration and a lack of water in the body.
By drinking plenty of water you may be able to clear the blocked salivary duct.
2. Make Gentle Massages
A gentle massage can help you get rid of your salivary stone problem naturally. You need to close your fingers on your palm and give a massage.
Start at your ear, while moving down to the gland. If you do this massage well, you may feel a strange taste in your mouth afterward.
Spit it out.
3. Use Sugar-Free Gum
Sugarless chewing gum can help with lithiasis. Chewing sugarless gum is a way to produce more saliva. Indeed, the act of chewing allows you to produce more saliva, and associated with sugar-free chewing gum with Sorbitol, you protect your teeth.
It has been proven that chewing sugarless chewing gum helps fight cavities and bacteria in the mouth.
4. Sucking Candy
Sucking on candy, especially sour candy, is another simple method that can work for salivary stones. Tart candy, like sugar-free gum or lemon, can stimulate salivary production.
You can suck on candy at the same time as you would using other natural tips to get rid of salivary stones.
5. Sucking on a Lemon
A grandma’s trick to fight salivary stones is to consume lemon. You can suck lemon pieces frequently, or drink a glass of fresh lemon juice in the morning on an empty stomach.
Do not add anything to your lemon juice, and swallow it all at once. Do this, every morning for at least a week.
This is a good way to detoxify your body, plus it will increase your saliva production. For the same reason, you can do lemon juice gargles, targeting the stone area.
6. Suck Ice Cubes
Sucking on ice cubes not only stimulates saliva production but also reduces the pain caused by salivary calculi.
It can even sometimes help to make the small stones that form inside the mouth disappear.
Unfortunately, all these natural remedies do not work on all salivary calculi and in many cases, a simple surgery will easily make them disappear.
VI. Can We Prevent Salivary Gland Stones
It is difficult to prevent salivary gland stones, as they can occur due to age or the use of certain medications.
However, some things can be done to reduce the risk of developing a stone. For example, it is important to stay well hydrated. Hydration allows better salivary production, a plus for oral health.
For the same reasons, it is important to have good oral hygiene. Infections and microbes can be the gateway to salivary stones
VII. Other Question About Salivary Gland Stones
1. Can I cut out my own salivary stone?
Cutting out the salivary stone is done by surgery. There are ways to surgically remove the salivary stone, which may vary depending on the size of the salivary stone in question.
It is possible to get rid of a salivary calculus by yourself, using natural tricks. Massaging the blocked salivary gland, drinking water and fluids as well as lemon; are ways to heal your salivary glands.
But these methods do not always work, especially if the stone is of a certain size.
2. Are Salivary Stones Painful?
Unless they are diagnosed very early, before they have succeeded in blocking a salivary duct, salivary stones are indeed painful.
Pain in the jaw is usually the first symptom of salivary stones. The blocked salivary gland becomes inflamed.
It is then common, once this stage is reached, to feel the pain that can be sharp.
3. Where Do Salivary Gland Stones Come Out?
Salivary stones occur for a variety of reasons. Older people are more likely to develop stones, especially because of the medications they take regularly. Most of these cause dry mouth.
Salivary stones can also develop as a result of an infection of the salivary gland.
It is also possible to develop salivary stones when there is too much calcium in the blood and saliva, especially due to dehydration.
4. Do Salivary Stones Smell?
Salivary stones themselves do not smell bad, but they can result in bad breath.
When the stone blocks the salivary duct, saliva production is reduced. This can lead to a dry mouth. Because saliva plays a cleaning role, when the mouth produces less saliva, bacteria spread.
It is then usual that this proliferation causes bad breath, which can lead to the belief that salivary stones smell bad.
5. Are Salivary Stones Dangerous?
Salivary stones are a danger to oral health. When they block the salivary duct, the salivary gland swells and becomes painful. The inflammation of the salivary gland is caused by an overgrowth of bacteria and microbes, which can no longer be removed by the saliva.
If the salivary stones are not treated, the infection may spread. This poses a great risk to the health of the entire human body. For this reason, broad-spectrum antibiotics are prescribed for the treatment of lithiasis.
6. Can I Squeeze Out a Salivary Stone?
The massage of the blocked salivary gland allows you to press the salivary stone, or the stone that is blocking it. It is possible by performing this type of massage to make the stone move, and thus get rid of it.
It is a natural and easy method to act when the salivary stone is not very big. You can combine the massage of the gland with drinking liquids and lemon juice.
7. How Do You Unclog a Blocked Salivary Gland?
There are different methods to unblock a salivary gland when it is blocked. If you want to do it the natural way, consume plenty of water and lemon juice. The hydration can help the stone to evacuate. The lemon juice increases saliva production, which again can help get rid of the stone.
You can also massage the salivary gland, or use compresses. But none of this prevents you from consulting a doctor to be sure of the diagnosis.
8. Can a Blocked Salivary Gland Go Away on Its Own?
Although it is rare, it is possible for salivary stones to pass on their own, without any intervention.
But to make things easier, it may help to take a few steps. Start by keeping yourself well hydrated and eating lemon and/or sour candy.
The most important thing is not only to improve your oral hygiene but also to increase your saliva production.
9. Can You Feel a Salivary Stone Come Out?
Sometimes you can feel the salivary gland coming out, especially during a massage of an obstructed salivary gland.
The massage is done with the hand closed in a fist, pressing at the level of the ear and going down to the gland itself.
You may then hear a kind of thud, a sign that the gland has unclogged. Your mouth will then be filled with an unpleasant liquid that you will have to spit out.
10. Which Antispasmodic for Salivary Lithiasis?
Your doctor will prescribe the most suitable antispasmodic for your condition. Nevertheless, it appears that Spasfon is an antispasmodic often prescribed in the case of salivary lithiasis.
Spasfon contains phloroglucinol and is used to allow the duct to relax. In addition, it has anti-inflammatory functions.
Useful Links:
Salivary gland calculi – contemporary methods of imaging
Something Sticking Out of My Gum [Bony Protrusion on Gums?]
Dental Bone Grafting: Risks and Complications?
How Do I Get Rid of a Mucous Cyst in my Mouth?