Salivary gland surgery

There is a group of glands in the head and neck that produce saliva. The parotid glands are the largest and rest on the angle of the jaw in front of the auditory by-products. A tube, known as the Stensen duct, drains saliva from the glands into the mouth. Its holes are inside the cheek at the level of the upper molar teeth. The submaxillary glands are below the horizontal portion of the lower jaw and its ducts, which are the longest and narrowest of all the salivary glands, empty into the floor of the mouth. The sublingual glands are on the floor of the mouth on each side of the tongue. In addition to these main glands, there are hundreds of minor salivary glands in the oral mucosa.