Salivary Gland Surgery

Salivary Gland Surgeries We have a total of 3 pairs of large salivary glands, one in front of our ear on the right and left (parotid gland), one under our chin on the right and left (submandibular gland) and one under our tongue in the mouth on the right and left (sublingual gland). Apart from these, there are many small salivary glands embedded in the skin lining the inside of the mouth.

Salivary gland surgery:

– mass-related diseases

– salivary gland stones and

– may be needed for chronic recurrent salivary gland infections.

When we find an uncontrolled growth, i.e. a mass, in any salivary gland, large or small, we usually take a biopsy. The biopsy result tells us whether this mass is benign or malignant and according to this result, we decide on the scope of salivary gland surgeries we will perform later.

As my patients often wonder, there is a possibility that benign salivary gland tumors may worsen later. This is not true for benign tumors of every organ. Therefore, a salivary gland tumor should be operated on as soon as it is detected.

The most important feature of these operations is that they are performed around the nerves that create the movements and facial expressions on our face. Many people do not want to have surgery even though it is necessary because they are afraid of the risk of nerve damage. However, the risk of early surgeries is quite low. In operations performed for tumors that grow over time, the risks grow proportionally. With the development of technology, the facilities used during the operation have also improved, and the possibility of damage to the nerves we mentioned has decreased considerably compared to the past.

In operations performed for reasons other than tumors, such as salivary gland stones or chronic infections, the salivary gland with the disease is removed as a whole. In mass-tumor surgeries, we often prefer to also remove the lymph nodes, which are at high risk of spreading. Endoscopic interventions to remove only the stone have a high risk of recurrence and a high rate of reoperation.