The salivary glands
Salivary glands · glandulae salivariae
Three pairs of glands around your mouth that produce saliva.
What it does
The parotid glands sit in front of the ears, the submandibular glands under the jaw and the sublingual glands under the tongue. Together they make saliva, which moistens food, starts digesting starch, protects teeth and helps you taste.
Surprising fact
You produce somewhere around half a litre to a litre and a half of saliva every day.
Why it matters
Saliva protects your teeth from decay, so a dry mouth from medicines or dehydration raises the risk of cavities. Mumps causes the parotid glands to swell.
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.