swollen cheek

I believe this is related to the parotid and submandibular glands. It has happened about 20 times over the last year.  Only one part of one of my cheeks becomes HUGE at a time. most of the time it is near my ear and goes away after about 12 hours.  Recently the front of my cheek will extremely swell up.  Today it is on the left front cheek and is so swollen that my cheek is hard and tender and swollen from my jawbone to my cheekbone.  There is no small lump, but a quarter sized lump in between my ear and front teeth.  But when the front swells up it doesn't go away for a couple days.  I brush and gargle multiple times a day, drink a lot of water and have actually been on antibiotics 2 times in recent months for congestion,etc.    I massage the affected area to try push any plug out.  It is very embarrassing and I'm concerned about any worse issues with this.  The doctor says come in when it happens again, but it usually happens at night or on weekends and I can't afford the emeregency room.  Any clues why this happens so often and what I can do further to prevent it and what to do to get rid of it faster like massaging a certain direction... parotid massage from back to front I heard but what about cheek?

[Enoch Choi, MD]

that sounds like it could possibly be a salivary gland stone causing parotiditis since it's temporary

drink lots lots lots of fluids, chew on lemon rind, get the saliva flowing, massage from back to front

[11452ace]

I have had the worst dry mouth ever, thinking it's part of a cold, with a stuffy nose and my glad under my right cheek is tender and sore, plus both cheeks look swollen.  Could this have something to do with my salivary glands??