Burning Mouth Syndrome

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Burning Mouth Syndrome
July 30, 2007 by TEMPESTWIND 1

Symptoms & Information
Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is an acute and sometimes, extremely hard problem to treat. The symptoms or characterizations of Burning Mouth Syndrome include a burning sensation of the lips, gums, tongue, palate and throat. It can also cause a dry, sore mouth, a metallic or bitter taste, tingling of the tongue or tingling of the mouth.

BMS is a complex problem that can exaggerate multiple symptoms. This condition is poorly understood, mainly because there appears to be such a wide variety of triggers for this problem. Typically, a patient may awaken without pain however as the day progresses the symptoms develop into the evening.

Triggers can include nerve damage, oral thrush, irritation, nutritional deficiencies or may be a side-effect of medications, such as ACE inhibitors commonly used to control high blood pressure.

Women are seven times more likely to develop this condition than men and it is far more common after the monopause. Symptoms of Burning Mouth Syndrome vary in location, duration and timing. The sensation of burning can involve your lips, gums, your tongue, your throat or your palate and other symptoms may include a very sore or dry mouth, metallic or very bitter taste or a tingling or numbness in the mouth or on the tongue.

Symptoms for BMS can develop progressively throughout the day or can come-and-go. Some sufferers go through very severe periods of BMS and also experience periods where they have absolutely no symptoms at all.

While some endocrine disorders are thought to be implicated in its development, in others, the condition may have a psychological basis. It can develop as a reaction to toothpaste or mouth washes, sensitivity to certain foods or preservatives such as sorbic acid and benzoic acid. Iron and vitamin deficiencies (B12, folic acid and B complex) are also thought to cause Burning Mouth Syndrome in some patients.

Although the condition is relatively easy to diagnoze, it can be highly difficult to treat. Finding the trigger is the first step, frequent sips of water or chewing gum may help to keep the mouth moist. Avoid alcohol, mouthwashes or strong toothpastes and check food labels for the presence of preservatives that may contribute to the problem. Depression and anxiety have also been reported in association with BMS.

Treatment with antidepressant or anti-epilepsy drugs may help some with very severe symptoms. Recent studies have pointed to a dysfunction of several cranial nerves directly associated with the sensation of taste which may be the ultimate cause of Burning Mouth Syndrome.

If the problem is caused by your current medications, then your Doctor may advise a substitute to asertain if this helps the symptoms of Burning Mouth Syndrome abate.

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