Best Salivary Gland Doctor in Dubai – Dr. Muhammad Jabbr

You rarely think about saliva until something goes wrong. Your mouth may feel dry all the time, a gland may swell when you eat, or you may notice a small lump in your cheek or under your jaw. If this sounds familiar, a salivary gland doctor in Dubai can find the cause and plan the next step.

At Medcare Hospital Al Safa, Consultant ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon Dr. Muhammad Jabbr looks after adults and children with all kinds of salivary gland problems. These range from a simple dry mouth to lumps that need careful tests. Below, you will learn how the glands work, what can go wrong and how they are checked.

What do your salivary glands do?

Salivary glands make saliva and send it into your mouth through small tubes called ducts. They work all day, and you swallow what they make without noticing.

Saliva does far more than keep your mouth wet. It:

• softens food so you can chew and swallow it
• starts breaking down starch, so digestion begins in your mouth
• helps you taste, because flavours need to dissolve first
• washes away food and germs, which protects your teeth and gums

The three major salivary glands and the minor glands

You have three pairs of large, or "major", salivary glands, one of each on the left and right side.

Parotid glands

These are the largest. Each one sits in front of and just below the ear, over the back part of the jawbone. Its duct opens inside the cheek, near the upper back teeth. Much of the watery saliva you make while eating comes from here. The nerve that moves your face runs right through this gland, so any operation here needs great care, as our parotid gland surgery page explains.

Submandibular glands

These sit just under the jawbone, towards the back. Their ducts run forward and open under the tongue, near the front. Between meals, they make most of the saliva in your mouth. Their saliva is thicker, and the duct runs slightly uphill, so this gland is where most salivary stones form.

Sublingual glands

These are the smallest of the major glands. They lie in the floor of the mouth, under the tongue, and drain through many tiny ducts.

Minor salivary glands

Hundreds of tiny glands also sit just under the surface of your lips, cheeks, palate and throat. Together they keep the inside of your mouth moist.

What problems can affect the salivary glands?

Dry mouth

The medical name is xerostomia. It often comes from medicines, such as some tablets for blood pressure, allergies, mood or bladder problems. Not drinking enough water and sleeping with your mouth open can add to it. Less often, it is linked to Sjogren's syndrome, an immune condition that also causes dry eyes, or to radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Long-term dry mouth raises the risk of tooth decay and mouth infections, so it is worth checking.

Infections

A gland can become infected by a virus, such as mumps, or by bacteria. Germs find it easier to settle in when saliva flow is slow, for example after an operation or when you are dehydrated. The gland may become painful, red and swollen.

Salivary stones

Small chalky stones can form inside a gland or its duct and block the flow of saliva. A typical sign is pain or swelling that comes on with meals and settles over an hour or two. Many stones can be managed without removing the gland.

Mucocele and ranula

A mucocele is a soft, bluish bump, often on the inside of the lower lip. It forms when a tiny duct is damaged, often by biting the lip, and saliva leaks into the tissue. A ranula is a similar but larger swelling under the tongue, coming from the sublingual gland. Neither one is cancer. Small mucoceles sometimes burst and settle by themselves. Others keep coming back until the gland feeding them is treated.

Tumours

Lumps can grow in any salivary gland. Most tumours in the parotid gland are not cancer. Tumours in the submandibular, sublingual and minor glands are rarer, but a larger share of them turn out to be cancer. So any new lump in a gland that does not go away needs a specialist check. When a lump proves to be cancer, treatment is planned as described under head and neck cancer surgery.

Which signs mean you should see a salivary gland doctor in Dubai?

It is worth booking a visit if you have:

• a dry mouth that lasts for weeks, especially with dry eyes
• swelling in front of the ear or under the jaw that keeps coming back
• pain or swelling in a gland when you eat
• a bad taste or pus coming into your mouth
• a soft bump on your lip or under your tongue that returns
• any lump in a gland or the neck, even if it does not hurt

Get urgent help for fever with swelling of the face or neck that spreads fast, for trouble swallowing or breathing, or if your jaw will not open properly. A lump also needs a prompt review if it grows quickly, or if it comes with drooping or weakness on one side of the face, numbness, or blood-stained saliva. In adults, any neck lump still there after three weeks needs to be seen. Read how a neck lump specialist works out the cause.

How does a specialist check your salivary glands?

Your first visit is mostly talking and a careful examination.

• Your story. When did it begin? Does it change with meals? Which medicines do you take? Are your eyes dry too?
• Feeling the glands. Dr. Jabbr gently presses each gland from the outside. For the floor of the mouth, he may press softly between a gloved finger inside and his other hand under the jaw, to feel for stones or lumps.
• Looking at the duct openings. He checks inside your cheeks and under your tongue. Gently pressing the gland shows whether clear saliva, cloudy fluid or nothing comes out.
• Ultrasound. This painless scan is often the first test. It can show stones, inflammation, cysts and lumps.
• Fine needle aspiration (FNA). For a solid lump, a very thin needle may collect a few cells for the lab, often with ultrasound guidance.
• Other tests when needed. MRI or CT scans give more detail. Blood tests may look for Sjogren's syndrome or infection. A small biopsy from the minor glands in the lip is sometimes used to confirm Sjogren's.

Treatment is guided by what the tests find. Sometimes the answer is simple: a change of medicine, more water or saliva substitutes. A bacterial infection may need antibiotics. Some conditions need a small procedure. A few, such as repeated problems that do not settle or certain tumours, may need an operation like submandibular gland surgery.

What Dr. Muhammad Jabbr brings to salivary gland care

Your salivary glands lie close to the nerves of the face and tongue, the jaw and the neck, so it helps to see a doctor who knows this whole area. Many people regard Dr. Jabbr as one of the best salivary gland doctors in Dubai, and his background shows why:

• Consultant ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon at Medcare Hospital, Al Safa
• Qualifications: MD, MS, DOHNS (England), European Board ORL-HNS and Arab Board ORL-HNS
• More than 20 years of experience and more than 3,000 ENT procedures
• Cares for both adults and children
• A Google rating of 4.9 from 406 patient reviews

He goes through your results with you in simple terms, and you can talk over each option before anything is decided.

Book an appointment

To have your glands checked, choose a time online or ring +971 52 751 7811. You will find his clinic in the ENT Department, Medcare Hospital, Hadiqa Street, Al Safa 1, Dubai.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final thoughts

Your salivary glands work quietly every day, so a change in how they feel is worth noticing. Many gland problems are simple to treat once the reason is known. If you have ongoing dry mouth, swelling or a new lump, an early check by an experienced salivary gland doctor in Dubai can give you answers and peace of mind.