Burning Mouth Syndrome
Symptoms of Burning Mouth Syndrome
Do you feel as though your tongue or parts of your mouth are stinging? You know you didn't burn your mouth but you don't know why this feeling won't go away? Do you feel better if you eat or drink something? Burning Mouth is not contagious. It is most common among women of menopausal age.
Causes of Burning Mouth Syndrome
Hormone imbalances affect composition of saliva. Candida or Thrush (yeast infection), Anemia (iron deficiency), Fluoride (in tap water), Alcohol-based products (mouthwash, etc.), Peppermint-based products (or anything with any kind of mint), Cinnamon, Indigestion, Acid Reflux, Tooth Paste with Fluoride, Tooth Whiteners or Sodium Laurel Phosphate (the 'sudsing' agent in toothpaste), Highly Salted or Spicy Foods, Acidic beverages (soda, black tea, orange juice, etc.), Antibiotics, Neck Injury, Spinal Misalignment, Neurological Disorders, Reduced Blood Flow (to the mouth), Vitamin B Deficiencies (B6, B2, B12, B1, B9), Low Iron and Zinc levels, Allergies (especially chemical and food additives), MSG, Food Additives, Food Dyes, Excessive Tongue Movement (70% of all BMS is caused by excessive tongue thrusting or playing with the teeth with the tongue), Loss of the Ability to Taste, Aging, Damage to the Seventh Nerve (the nerve that runs from the tip of the tongue, through the inner ear to the brain), TMJ (2nd most common cause), Vitamin C Deficiency (also causes mouth sores), Cigarette smoke, Menthol, Acid Reflux, Sjogren's Disease (dry mouth and eyes), Geographic Tongue, Diuretics, Anxiety (primarily fear), Irritability and pH Imbalance.
Depression and Cancer can be either the cause of BMS or the result.
Certain drugs can cause BMS: Trycyclic antidepressants, high blood pressure medications, Central Nervous System Depressants and Lithium.
Spiritual/Psychological causes: The inability to taste (experience) the joy of life.
Treatments for BMS
Avoid alcohol based mouth rinses, sprays and cough syrup, cigarette smoke, Cinnamon, Peppermint, Sorbic Acid and Benzoic Acid (preservatives) and Propylene glycol, which is a moisturizing agent in foods, drugs and cosmetics. Avoid consuming too many acidic drinks (soft drinks, black tea, citrus juice, etc.).
Eliminate Fluoride & Tooth Whitening toothpaste. You may want to avoid toothpaste all together if you have BMS. Use an all natural paste, such as Tom's of Maine' Sodium Laurel Phosphate free toothpaste, or use baking soda. Nasty taste, but your teeth will squeak! Don't brush the gums too hard with baking soda.
Avoid salty foods, such as chips and pretzels for at least two weeks. Add them back into your diet and check for a reaction.
If you also have a stiff neck, chiropractic adjustment may help. Follow the advice above for pain and stiffness. The exercises listed under Headaches (below) may also help.
Avoid breathing in chemicals (paint thinner, chlorine, pesticides, moth balls, etc.).
Take your dentures out while you are sleeping. If they don't fit well, try to get them refitted so you won't be playing with them with your teeth or irritating your tongue with them.
Don't hold your glasses, pens and pencils with your teeth. This causes a tightening of the face, jaw and throat muscles.
Experience a metallic taste in your mouth? This symptom is commonly shared with mouth pain. You may be allergic to some of your dental materials, or have Gingivitis. It may also be your brain assigning a flavor to damaged taste buds due to the damage of the seventh nerve that runs from the tip of your tongue, through your inner ear and to your brain.
Did your BMS start after some dental work was done? Dr. Miriam Grushka, an associate professor of dentistry at Case Western Reserve University, is concerned that some dental procedures could have an impact on the nerves in the mouth that may cause phantom pain. TMJ is described, by those who suffer from it, as face, jaw and/or ear pain that originates from a misalignment of the jaw. It can cause headaches and clicking, or popping, of the jaw hinges. Sometimes the jaw can become stuck open. For example, if you have TMJ, you may not be able to bite into apples without having trouble opening or closing your mouth normally. This 'trouble' with the jaw can begin after having to hold your mouth open for long periods of time in the dental chair. It can cause Burning Mouth Syndrome! I know this from experience. You might want to consult your dentist if you suspect this may be a problem for you. Chiropractors can also help with TMJ. (TMJ may also be a cause of Tinnitus.)
Are you menopausal? The most frequent time for onset is two years before and six years after menopause. Menopause is a common denominator for most people with BMS, suggesting that hormones play a role in BMS. Hormones affect the composition of your saliva. Still, doctors believe that there must be another factor involved than just decreased estrogen levels. for more information on hormones, visit "Is It Hot In Here?!".
Drink more water and fluids. The tongue can become painful when dehydrated.
70% of all BMS is caused by tongue thrusting! What you are feeling may be referred pain from the tongue muscles! Try not to play with your teeth, or gums, with your tongue. Some people thrust their tongue against their teeth, much like others who grind their teeth or flex the back muscles of the tongue in stress. Find some sugar-free gum (at your health food store) to chew, or chew on ice.
Watch your posture. Slouching makes your next extend out, which causes strain in the neck muscles, which can transfer pain in the tongue. Did you know that bad posture is related to feeling burdened and hopeless about changing things?
Find ways to reduce stress. Learn more about bio-feedback. I know...it isn't easy!
Rinse mouth with 1 part water and 1 part Capsicum (the ingredient in hot peppers). Capsicum can be found at the health food store. Please, do not swallow it. It may burn your stomach really bad if you are already sensitive anyway. Do not do this at all if you have lesions anywhere in your mouth.
Increase your sense of taste by taking 1 tablespoon of Swedish Bitters per day for two weeks. If burning tongue is caused by lack of gastric acid, this will help as well. If, on the other hand, you have too much acid, this may give you indigestion and you will want to discontinue the herbs.
Drink 3 cups of Sage Tea daily for three weeks for coated tongue, which may be a symptom of digestive or kidney problems. Visit, "Tea, Anyone?". Also for coated tongue, rinse your mouth every 2 hours with Chamomile tea made from the blossoms, not tea bags.
Burning Tongue Syndrome can be caused by a chronic deficiency of gastric acid. Taking bitter herbs can trigger the flow of stomach juices. Take as directed. You might also try swallowing organic apple cider vinegar, not more than 1 TB, to see if it reduces your indigestion.
For pain, take 20-30 drops of Echinacea 3 x per day. It has a numbing effect.
Use a sore throat drop. It will numb your tongue for awhile until you distract yourself otherwise.
Geograpic Tongue is not a symptom of BMS,
but can be painful. Your tongue may look like a map due to some of the hairs (papille) are missing. It is important to refrain from acidic foods and to take herbs that reduce acid, such as Chamomile and Aloe vera. Use aloe juice (not gel or plant) as directed. For Chamomile tea, place 1 teaspoon of herbs in 1 cup boiling water for tea up to 3 times per day. Peppermint has been suggested to reduce acids. However, Peppermint may be the cause of BMS and, in some people who are allergic to it, mapped tongue.
For 'White Tongue', associated with indigestion, eating Millet and Barley may help to relieve it.
Consider Taking the Following Supplements
Vitamin B complex - 50 mg 3 x per day
Vitamin C with bioflavonoids - 1000 mg per day
Vitamin A - No more than 8,000 IU (avoid during pregnancy)
Vitamin E with mixed tocopherols - 400 mg per day
You might also take:
Iron - 60 mg. per day (only with doctor permission!)
B-12 - 1,000 meg. dissolved under tongue daily
Folic Acid - 800 meg. daily
Zinc - 50 mg. daily
Important Notes about BMS!
#1. Burning Tongue Syndrome and Burning Mouth Syndrome are different. BTS is a term used when the cause for your burning tongue has been established, such as Geographic Tongue, which is caused from acidic burning from foods eaten. Burning Tongue Syndrome that has no apparent cause is termed Burning Mouth Syndrome.
#2. BMS is different than Thrush, which is a Candidas overgrowth in the mouth, often causing a white film on the tongue, sometimes sores in the mouth, or on the back and sides of the tongue. It is also different than in the case of having too much stomach acid, which causes raw, painful blisters to form in the mouth.
What Doctors are Doing
Doctors are prescribing Clonazepam (an anticonvulsant) for BMS. Symptoms appear to be gone within 24 hours in up to 70% of individuals. Relief with this medication may be found, but the side effects may not be worth it. It may interest you to know that this is one of the drugs also used for Tinnitus.
New BMS Discoveries!
Dr. Linda Bartoshuk, an experimental psychologist at Yale Medical School, believes persons suffering from BMS are actually experiencing pain phantoms much like someone who has had a limb removed. She says that our sense of taste normally inhibits pain from the tongue. When taste buds are damaged and dysfunctional, the brain gets a false message thinking it has received a message of pain from the tongue. The metallic taste in the mouth, often associated with BMS, is in fact the result of damged nerves, with the brain creating this sense of taste much the way an amputee still feels an arm that is missing.
Dr. Miriam Grushka, an associate professor of dentistry at Case Western reserve University, discovered a relationship between BMS and some connective tissue disorders, including rhuematoid arthritis, Sjogren's disease and lupus. She is concerned that some dental procedures could have an impact on the mouth leading to phantom pain. Damage to the 7th nerve (the nerve at the tip of the tongue) can cause BMS.
May Love & Energy Be Yours!
