HELP, MY TONGUE IS BURNING!!!

This painful condition is called burning mouth.  This is a painful sensation felt in almost all the areas of the tongue.  Usually the burning sensation worsens as the day progresses.  Some of my patients experience a tingling or numb sensation in their mouth or on the tip of the tongue.  Some experience dry mouth, increased thirst, a general soreness in the mouth and a bitter or metallic taste in the mouth.  Other names are scalded mouth syndrome, burning tongue syndrome, burning lips syndrome, glossodynia and stomatodynia.  Burning tongue basically affects the tongue, gums, lips, inside of the cheeks, roof of the mouth and other areas of the mouth.  Sometimes people affected with burning tongue lose their sense of taste temporarily.  Some causes of burning tongue are:  hormonal abnormalities, diabetes, menopause, medications, tobacco use, and the list goes on and on.

Now the most important part of this week's subject.  What should people do who are experiencing this very bothersome syndrome?  Unfortunately, there's no one sure way to treat burning mouth syndrome.  Good solid research on how to treat it is lacking.  Your treatment depends solely on your individual symptoms.  We also need to take into consideration any underlying conditions that may be causing your discomfort.

Obviously, replacing poorly fitting dentures or correcting a vitamin deficiency may help.  If you are lucky enough to pinpoint the cause and can get it treated, your burning mouth syndrome symptoms should improve.

If your cause can't be found, treatment can be extremely challenging.  Unfortunately, there's no known cure for the syndrome.  So, like many medical conditions, practitioners are left with controlling the symptoms.  Treatment options could include:  saliva replacement products, medications that block nerve pain, certain antidepressants, cognitive behavioral therapy, specific oral rinses or lidocaine, capsaicin (a pain reliever made from chili peppers).