Saliva buildup

December 8, 2007 10:45 AM

You know those little pockets directly underneath your ears and behind the jaw bone? Mine fill with saliva and cause discomfort.

Saliva frequently gathers in those little pockets (to clarify, it's directly under the ear. Place your finger under your earlobe, and just to the edge of your jawbone. Right THERE). When I use my hands to press gently there, the saliva comes back into my mouth and I can swallow it. It's not a lot of saliva, but it's just enough to cause serious discomfort, and apparently fill that little pocket of space. It's not as noticeable when I am standing up or actively engaged, but when I'm lying on my back reading, or trying to fall asleep, it's impossible to ignore. I usually just take my fingers and force the saliva back into my mouth. I can't sleep on my back or hardly recline without those pockets filling up with saliva. It seems to happen throughout the day, not just if I eat something or perform some activity. Lying in bed at night, or in the morning, or watching a movie, these pockets fill up and I am constantly pushing the saliva back into my mouth. I am a healthy person. I don't do drugs, I don't drink, and I exercise regularly.

I talked to the doc about it once, just a family doctor, and he didn't think it was serious enough to warrant anything. He suggested abnormal saliva buildup and told me to drink more water. This hasn't seemed to solve it.

Has anyone had a similar problem? Could anyone identify what this is? I'm starting to think I'm the only one with this problem. In the world.

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (5 comments total)

Those little 'pockets' as you call them are the parotid glands, where saliva is produced. A duct leads the saliva out of them; it enters your mouth under a little flap of mucosa adjacent to your top first molar. You can feel that with your tongue.

Sometimes the parotid ducts get blocked with calcific concretions and you have to 'milk' them to get this powdery stuff out. But that doesn't really sound like what's happening here. Your teeth and mouth are supposed to be bathed in saliva all the time; for one thing, saliva contains lots of antibodies that help prevent tooth decay. Could it be that you are just overinterpreting something that is normal?
posted by ikkyu2 at 10:55 AM on December 8, 2007 [2 favorites]

This happens to me all the time! I actually call that spot "Yogurt Spot" because when I eat yogurt, I get the same sort of painful tingling on the outside of my jawbone. I don't know what it is or why it happens, but at least I know I'm not the only one. The glands of my neck frequently swell also, and I wonder if it's related.
posted by Bella Sebastian at 11:26 AM on December 8, 2007

As I was considering your question and pushing on the area behind my jaw and below my earlobe with my fingers, I noticed that clenching my jaw caused my jaw muscles to impinge quite strongly there, and even more strongly inside my mouth along the line the duct of the parotid gland follows as it empties into the mouth according to the very interesting article ikkyu2 linked. And while my mate's tendency to burst out laughing sitting across the dinner table from me at the way my chewing muscles make the whole shape of my head change as I eat may indicate I am not entirely typical, I would go so far as to say that the jaw muscles seem almost designed to pump saliva out of the parotid glands.

So, if the mechanics of your jaw and the condition of your teeth are up to it, I suggest trying to bulk your jaw muscles up a bit by a program of chewing massive wads of sugarless gum for a month or two. It might even help with your sleeping problems; all the trouble people have grinding their teeth as they sleep seems to show that making chewing motions need not interfere with getting a good night's rest.
posted by jamjam at 12:48 PM on December 8, 2007

I've had this problem for years. Occasionally I have to press on them to empty them. I can also do it subtly by shrugging a shoulder up against the area. No biggie. I don't even realize it anymore.
posted by IndigoRain at 2:20 PM on December 8, 2007

this happens to me when I eat strongly flavored foods. it can be incredibly painful but it soon goes away.

However, I have no idea what it is, how to prevent it or how to fix it.
posted by chelseagirl at 10:08 AM on December 9, 2007