ENT surgeon, Dr Mark Torres-Holmes, expands on salivary gland cancer and why a skilled surgeon is imperative to avoid nerve damage. Function of salivary glands We have both major and minor salivary glands secreting saliva into the mouth. The minor salivary glands are many, about 8000, and are single salivary units which open directly into the mouth, mostly situated on the inside lips, cheeks, hard and soft palates. We call the major ones major because they are both bigger than the minor ones…