What Causes Swelling Of The Parotid Gland After A Tooth Extraction?

Posted on Fri, 2 Jun 2023

Question: I am suffering with swelling of my parotid gland, also I have recently had a tooth extraction, the inside of my cheek is so sore, is it my glands or dental surgery that is causing the issue, I have been backwards and forwards to Dr's and dentist but getting nowhere

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
May need imaging

Detailed Answer:

Hi,

The best way to determine if there is an issue with the parotid gland or any of the other salivary glands would be to image it. An ultrasound of the parotid would determine if there are any issues with it.

Swelling is one of the common reasons for imaging the parotid.

Unfortunately, the picture sent would not be enough to determine if the discomfort or swelling that you are having is related to either since palpation/touching and imaging of the area would be needed.

The use of anti-inflammatory medication may help if the swelling is related to inflammation/irritation of the issues from the tooth extraction only eg: Ibuprofen, Naproxen etc. Inflammation from extraction should last less than a week in most cases.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Dr. Michelle Gibson James
General & Family Physician

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar