Burning Mouth Syndrome What is It?
What is Burning Mouth Snydrome?
My experience with this awful phenomenon, is defined as an irritating condition that makes your mouth constantly feel like it has eaten a basket of scotch bonnet peppers.
The real definition of this condition is:
Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a painful, frustrating condition often described as a scalding sensation in the tongue, lips, palate, or throughout the mouth. Although BMS can affect anyone, it occurs most commonly in middle-aged or older women.
BMS often occurs with a range of medical and dental conditions, from nutritional deficiencies and menopause to dry mouth and allergies. But their connection is unclear, and the exact cause of burning mouth syndrome cannot always be identified with certainty.
Symptoms
I really thought I was going crazy. My tongue and the inside of my mouth are on fire constantly. Not only is it irritating but nothing helps it. My dentist told me that people with connective tissue disorders and mainly women can very easily get this. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia a year and a half ago. I started with these symptoms about six months ago. It doesn't matter what I do nothing relieves it. At times when it is really bad I have to chew gum.
The symptoms are burning inside the mouth, tongue and lips. It can also cause:
- tingling or numbness on the tip of the tongue or in the mouth
- bitter or metallic changes in taste
- dry or sore mouth.
Have you ever heard of or diagnosed with BMS
Causes
While very little is really known about BMS, there are many causes that can make this happen.
They include but are not limited to:
There are a number of possible causes of burning mouth syndrome, including:
- damage to nerves that control pain and taste
- hormonal changes
- dry mouth, which can be caused by many medicines and disorders such as Sjögren’s syndrome or diabetes
- nutritional deficiencies
- oral candidiasis, a fungal infection in the mouth
- acid reflux
- poorly-fitting dentures or allergies to denture materials
- anxiety and depression.
In some people, burning mouth syndrome may have more than one cause. But for many, the exact cause of their symptoms cannot be found. (http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/)
It was not something I wished for
When it first began it was just a little irritating. I thought it was one of my medications but it turns out none of them cause this issue. My feeling is that since Fibromyalgia is the over firing of nerves to give muscle pain then they nerves of the mouth must be doing the same thing. There are not any medications right now for this disorder. It can surely take a toll on someone when it is really bad. Some days it is really bad and some days not so much but like with everything else we need a cure.
No one cares if your mouth is burning so a search for a cure is on the back burner while my insides are burning up. If this is any indication how hot hell will be I will pass on this one.
Treatments
Since not enough information is known about this quirky neuro issue, treatment is limited.
You can improve your symptoms if dry mouth is the culprit by sipping water, sucking on ice or chewing some minty kind of gum.
Some other self care things you can try are:
- Avoid irritating substances like hot, spicy foods; mouthwashes that contain alcohol; and products high in acid, like citrus fruits and juices.
- Chew sugarless gum.
- Brush your teeth/dentures with baking soda and water.
- Avoid alcohol and tobacco products.
Get it checked out
This is a very challenging problem because they do not know what causes it. It's not a simple hit and miss kind of problem. There are many things that have to be ruled out before someone says your just crazy.
Well I am sane enough to know that my tongue, lips, throat and mouth are on fire 90% of the day and to me that is too long.
There are so many little quirky disorders that people never hear about. If you have a quirky, not heard of disorder please share it with me in the comments.
Burning mouth syndrome is a disorder that is not understood or very little knowledge known about it. All anyone can do that has it, is try to find relief for it. It is a constant burning of the tongue, throat, mouth and lips. It honestly feels like someone is holding a match to your mouth most of the day.
They say not to chew gum but that is the only time I get any relief from it. If you are suffering from BMS all we can hope for is one day find out a cure for it. It's not life threatening so no one will race for a cure.