Chlorhexidine gluconate oral antiseptic rinse is used for the treatment of gingivitis, a type of gum disease. Chlorhexidine inhibits the buildup and maturation of bacterial colonies, thereby preventing gingivitis and reducing the associated...
Salivary-gland cancer is a very rare cancer in the United States. In fact, more than half of the tumors doctors find in the salivary glands are benign. Salivary-gland cancers account for less than half of 1 percent of all cancers, and because of...
All vaccines carry a risk of side effects. Most of these are mild and resolve within a week of administration. Some vaccines are mandatory during childhood; others are optional but advised for certain age groups or health conditions. Some vaccines...
Mumps is caused by a viral infection and is highly contagious. It can be contracted by breathing in saliva droplets that are disbursed through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs. Since a mumps vaccine was introduced in 1967, the...
Salt has been used to flavor foods for thousands of years. It is one of the most common seasonings found on restaurant tables and home kitchens. Both sea salt and table salt primarily contain the same basic chemical compound of sodium chloride....
Hyperthyroidism occurs when your thyroid releases excessive hormones over a short (acute) or long (chronic) time. Various diseases and conditions can cause this illness, including Grave's disease, non-cancerous growths on the thyroid or pituitary...
The various illnesses that children spread from one to another are no small concern to parents who feel as though they spend the entire winter wiping noses and taking temperatures. But fortunately, some of the more serious communicable diseases of...
Radioactive iodine, also called RAI, is an isotope produced by fission of uranium atoms. Unlike stable iodine, radioactive iodine decays over time, and emits beta particles during decay. RAI is among the most commonly used radionuclides, and has...
Being told to eat candy to cure a medical condition may sound too good to be true. But if you have problems with your salivary glands, sour candy may be just what the doctor ordered. Infection, decreased saliva production or stones in the salivary...
Follicular thyroid cancer is a rare kind of thyroid cancer, making up one out of 10 thyroid cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. It develops from follicular cells of the thyroid. Although surgery is a common treatment for thyroid...
Iodine is used for a variety of conditions, both in medical diagnosis and as a form of treatment for a number of thyroid conditions. Side effects to iodine are fortunately rare. They may range from mild reactions, known as "iodism," to...
Chlorhexidine is an antimicrobial medication used in dental care. Inserted in and around gum cavities, it treats periodontitis and gingivitis. The most common prescribed form of the medicine is an oral rinse. The liquid form of the medicine may...
Chlorhexidine gluconate is an antimicrobial oral rinse that helps kill bacteria in the mouth. It is used to treat gingivitis, a condition characterized by redness and swelling of the gums, and bleeding from the gums after probing. Therapy can last...
Nearly all HIV-infected children under the age of 13 in the United States contracted the virus during childbirth, according to the Children's Hospital in Boston. The symptoms of HIV and AIDS in children are highly dependent on the child's age....
You may require treatment with iodine in the form of radioactive isotopes for a number of reasons. Doctors use it as a diagnostic tool as well as for treatment for overactive thyroid or a goiter. Thyroid cancer patients may undergo radioactive...
Mumps once was considered a normal childhood illness, but it is a serious disease that can lead to severe complications. Media attention in 2009 focused on a mumps outbreak in New York that affected kids who previously were vaccinated against the...
Getting immunized against mumps can save your life. Those who get two doses of mumps vaccine are about nine times less likely to get mumps than those who aren't vaccinated. It is still possible get mumps if you've been vaccinated. But if you are...
Amitryptyline is a medication used to treat depression by balancing certain chemicals, called neurotransmitters, in your brain. It belongs to the class of drugs called tricylic antidepressants. Tell your doctor whether you suffer from medical...
Abnormally decreased saliva production causes dry mouth, also known as xerostomia. Dry mouth frequently leads to other symptoms and problems, including mouth sores, burning, decreased or altered taste, and an increased incidence of tooth decay....
Tapazole (generic name methimazole) is a medication used to treat hyperthyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland makes too much thyroid hormone. It can also be used prior to thyroid surgery and radioactive iodine treatment. Tapazole is...
Cancer of the mouth includes cancers that form in the tissues of the oral cavity and in the oropharynx, the beginning of the throat at the back of the mouth. Throat cancer develops anywhere along the pharynx, the hollow tube that goes from the...
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a herpes virus that most adults in the United States have been exposed to. The virus remains in the body for life. In a healthy adult, the virus produces mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. However, in someone with a...
The salivary glands, located in your mouth and throat, secrete saliva to keep your mouth moist, help your digestion and protect your teeth from cavities. Swollen salivary glands are associated with a range of disorders, including viral infections,...
Saliva plays an important role in your digestive system. It helps break down the food that you eat. Saliva is produced and secreted by three major salivary glands in your mouth. Salivary gland blockages prevent saliva from leaving your salivary...
Intal (cromolyn sodium inhalation) is a medication used to prevent asthma flare-ups and bronchospasms, which are characterized by trouble breathing and wheezing. According to Drugs.com, it is an anti-inflammatory medication that prevents your...
Swelling of the lips and face can occur as a result of a number of different conditions. By itself, swelling of the lips and face is not usually harmful and can go away on its own with treatment of the underlying condition. If swelling becomes...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, defines potassium iodide as a medication used as a thyroid blocking agent in case of emergencies whereby a patient has been exposed to radioiodine. MedlinePlus states that thyroid glands need iodine...
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a viral infection that causes progressive destruction of the body's disease-fighting white blood cells, eventually causing the onset of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Children who are born with HIV...
The thyroid gland, a bow-tie shaped gland in the lower front neck, regulates the body's energy level, including pulse and blood pressure. Thyroid cancer is rare in the United States. When it occurs, usually the entire thyroid is surgically...
The mumps, or epidemic parotitis, typically presents as severe swelling of the salivary glands. Learn more about the mumps including treatment options in this medical video.
