[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Dentistry](https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/) › [Oral mucosal lesions](https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/areas/oral-lesions/) › Mucocele and ranula: bluish swellings from salivary glands

# Mucocele and ranula: bluish swellings from salivary glands

- Oral pathology

A soft bluish bubble on the inner lower lip is usually a mucocele from a damaged minor salivary gland. Under the tongue, a larger one is a ranula.

Updated Nov 12, 2026

**See it in 3D:** [Sublingual gland](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/sublingual-gland/) · [Submandibular gland](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/submandibular-gland/) · [Mylohyoid](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/mylohyoid-muscle/)

## Key points

- Bluish lower-lip bubble = mucocele.
- Floor-of-mouth bluish swelling = ranula from the sublingual gland.
- Firm upper-lip or palatal lump: biopsy to exclude a salivary tumour.

## What it is

A mucocele forms when the duct of a minor salivary gland is torn, usually by biting, and mucus leaks into the tissue. It appears as a soft, painless, bluish or translucent dome, most often on the inner lower lip, that may burst and refill. A ranula is the same process from the sublingual gland, forming a larger bluish swelling in the floor of the mouth to one side. A «plunging» ranula passes through or around the mylohyoid muscle and presents as a soft swelling in the neck. Other common lumps include the fibroma (a firm pink nodule from irritation) and the pyogenic granuloma (a red, bleeding lump, frequent in pregnancy).

## How to recognise it

- Mucocele: lower lip, bluish dome, history of lip biting.
- Ranula: floor of the mouth, one side, from the sublingual gland.
- Plunging ranula: soft neck swelling under the jaw.
- Upper lip lumps are less often mucoceles and more often salivary tumours.
- Pyogenic granuloma bleeds easily and is common on the gums in pregnancy.

## Differential and risks

- A firm, non-fluctuant lump of the upper lip or palate should be biopsied to exclude a salivary gland tumour.
- A floor-of-mouth swelling with fever and pain is infection (or Ludwig angina), not a ranula.
- Repeated draining of a mucocele does not cure it; the damaged gland must be removed.

## Next step / Initial management

- Small mucocele: may resolve; if it persists or recurs, refer to the dentist or oral surgeon for excision with the gland.
- Ranula: refer to maxillofacial or ENT surgery; treatment usually includes removing the sublingual gland.
- Firm lumps, upper-lip lumps, palatal lumps or any lesion that grows: refer for biopsy.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## What is the typical site and cause of a mucocele?

The inner lower lip, from a torn minor salivary gland duct after biting.

## Which gland gives rise to a ranula?

The sublingual gland.

## How does a plunging ranula present?

As a soft swelling in the upper neck, after passing through or around the mylohyoid muscle.

[Add to my cards (3)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/dentistry/mucocele-and-ranula-bluish-swellings-from-salivary-glands/)

## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia

- [Approach to salivary gland swelling](https://durgical.com/en/ent/approach-to-salivary-gland-swelling/)

## Connections

## See it in 3D 3

The structures of Durgical's 3D anatomy where it is found.

- [Sublingual gland](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/sublingual-gland/)
- [Submandibular gland](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/submandibular-gland/)
- [Mylohyoid](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/mylohyoid-muscle/)

## Related 3

- [Saliva and the oral microbiome](https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/saliva-and-the-oral-microbiome/)
- [White and red patches in the mouth: approach](https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/white-and-red-patches-in-the-mouth-approach/)
- [Jaw cysts and odontogenic tumours](https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/jaw-cysts-and-odontogenic-tumours/)

## Related conditions 1

- [Sialolithiasis (salivary stones)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/sialolithiasis/)

[← All of dentistry](https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/)

Educational content; it does not replace assessment by a dentist or doctor and is not a clinical instruction. For facial or neck swelling with difficulty swallowing or breathing, a knocked-out tooth or bleeding that will not stop, go to an emergency department at once.

Sources: [Mucocele and Ranula](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560855/) (StatPearls Publishing (NCBI Bookshelf), 2023); [Anatomy, Head and Neck, Salivary Glands](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538325/) (StatPearls Publishing (NCBI Bookshelf), 2023).

## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake

Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/mucocele-and-ranula-bluish-swellings-from-salivary-glands/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/dentistry/mucocele-and-ranula-bluish-swellings-from-salivary-glands/