Parotid glandThe largest salivary gland; it lies over the back of the jaw.
Parotid ductIt carries saliva from the parotid gland into the mouth. It opens near the upper second molar.
Submandibular glandIt lies under the body of the mandible.
Submandibular ductIt carries saliva forward into the floor of the mouth.
Sublingual glandThe smallest of the three. It lies in the floor of the mouth.
Landmarks 2
TongueThe sublingual gland lies beneath it.
MandibleThe submandibular gland lies under its body. The parotid covers its back edge.
How this list was compiled: Every name and detail checked on 2026-09-29 against OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, section 23.3 The Mouth, Pharynx, and Esophagus (parotid glands and their ducts opening near the second upper molar, submandibular glands and ducts, sublingual glands, the tongue and mandible as landmarks), https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/23-3-the-mouth-pharynx-and-esophagus, and against Wikipedia, Salivary gland, text only. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-05. What lies where (the parotid gland in front of the ear and over the masseter, its duct crossing the muscle, the submandibular gland under the jaw, the sublingual gland in the floor of the mouth with the duct beside it) follows Gray's Anatomy (1918) fig. 1024, Dissection, showing salivary glands of right side, by Henry Vandyke Carter, public domain (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gray1024.png), mirrored so the face looks left; the head and the whole mandible are our own drawing, and nothing is traced. The sublingual gland and the duct beside it lie inside the arch of the jaw; they are drawn over the bone so they can be seen. Licence: own work
How it works
Three pairs of major salivary glands keep the mouth wet. This side view cuts the cheek away to show all three and the ducts that carry their saliva into the mouth.
Read the full guide
Largest to smallest
Numbers 1 and 2 are the parotid gland in front of the ear and its duct across the cheek. Numbers 3 and 4 are the submandibular gland under the jaw and its duct toward the tongue. Number 5 is the small sublingual gland under the tongue. Numbers 6 and 7 are the tongue and the mandible, to find your way.
Names give the place: parotid means beside the ear, submandibular under the jaw, sublingual under the tongue.
Questions and answers
What are the three main salivary glands?
The parotid glands in front of the ears, the submandibular glands under the jaw and the sublingual glands under the tongue. There is one of each on each side.
Where does the parotid duct open?
Inside the cheek, opposite the upper second molar tooth. The duct runs forward from the parotid gland across the cheek muscle to get there.
What does saliva do?
It moistens and softens food so it can be chewed and swallowed, starts the digestion of starch with the enzyme salivary amylase, and helps keep the mouth and teeth clean. An average of 1 to 1.5 litres is made each day.