Salivary Gland Stones

In January, I went to the dentist for my routine cleaning and check-up. As I lay there with my mouth wide open, I heard my dentist say, “You have a blockage in your right salivary gland. Did you know that?” I did not. I didn’t even know that a blockage to the salivary gland was possible! I knew that there was a little bump on the side of my cheek, but I thought I’d just bit it and caused it to grow back weird. Nope. I had a blockage—a “little stone” to be exact. And no matter what my dentist did, he could not get the stone out. I left his office with a referral to an oral surgeon.

 

For six weeks, I avoided contacting an oral surgeon because I was afraid of how much it was going to cost. The blockage only hurt occasionally and wasn’t bothering me in the least, so I just kept the referral and went about my business.

 

Last week, as I was reviewing the benefits of my supplemental insurance policies for school, I noticed that I could get partially reimbursed for oral surgery on a lesion—and that’s what my dentist put on the referral form. Not as worried about money anymore, I contacted a local oral surgeon and scheduled an appointment for this past Tuesday.

 

As I lay in the dentist chair once again, I listened as the surgeon explained that it’s rare to see a stone in the parotid gland—which is the salivary gland that is located on the side of the face, near the ear. He explained how he normally sees stones in another gland and shared with me the reasons that this is so. He said a whole lot of other things, too, and I tried to listen, but all I could think was, “I’m pretty sure this is a stone in my mouth. I can feel it. It’s been there for awhile. And it’s not going anywhere.”

 

Finally, as the surgeon looked in my mouth, he said, “Well. That certainly looks like a stone!”

 

He tried to dilate the salivary gland duct to make the stone pass, but it was too large. Eventually, after explaining everything that he was doing and asking my permission before he did it, he made a small slit in my cheek. It hurt less than the last time I accidentally bit the side of my mouth. I thought that he was going to have to keep cutting but suddenly he said, “There’s more than one stone in here!”

 

That’s right, folks. Not only did I have the rare parotid stone, but I had two of them! One stone was circular and smooth. This is the one that I could see in my mouth. The other stone was triangular and jagged. This is the one that had been hiding the whole time. The entire office was fascinated by my treasure. I couldn’t help but laugh at their excitement. I was excited, too. I like providing people with rare opportunities!

 

The surgeon was very nice. I thought that I was going in for a consultation and that I’d have to return for the procedure, but he went on and did the procedure that day. He didn’t charge me for oral surgery and he didn’t charge an absorbent amount of money for his work. I will not be able to be reimbursed from my supplemental insurance company, but that’s okay. Because the stones are gone. And my bank isn’t broken.

 

This whole experience with my parotid (salivary) gland stones has been new and unexpected. What is something new or unexpected that has happened to you lately?

 

I’d love to hear.