Burning Mouth Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments

Burning Mouth Syndrome, a condition that causes a burning sensation in the mouth, affects at least 2% of the world population, according to the American Academy of Oral Medicine (AAOM).

The burning sensation can be felt on the whole mouth, but commonly the gums, palate, lips, and the inner parts of the cheek. The condition can get severe with time, hence more pain. Though this complication can be harder to treat, Austin Cosmetic Dentistry can help relieve your pain.

Common symptoms of Burning Mouth Syndrome

1. Depending on the severity of your condition, BMS can last for months or years.
2. A burning sensation inside your mouth is often the first symptom. You can either feel this on all the parts of your mouth or some, sometimes the throat too.
3. A feeling of dryness of the mouth is also possible, making you thirsty.
4. Because the condition may affect your taste buds, you’ll likely experience a taste change –metallic or bitter taste. In some cases, you can suffer a complete taste loss.
5. Other patients also experience stinging, tingling, or total mouth numbness.

These symptoms occur in different patterns. You may experience them once a day – a little discomfort when you wake up, which gets worse as the day progresses, or start when you wake up and maintain the same level of discomfort all day long.

The discomfort can also be on and off all day long.

No matter the pattern, BMS is not known to cause any visible physical mouth changes. In rare cases, the discomfort can get less often or disappear entirely.

In either case, Austin Cosmetic Dentistry can help you in managing the symptoms.

Causes of Burning Mouth Syndrome

BMS has both primary and secondary causes.

Primary, also called idiopathic BMS, is where there is no identification of clinical or lab abnormalities.

Primary BMS is associated with sensory nerve problems.

On the other hand, secondary is associated with underlying medical conditions. They include;

1. Dry mouth as a result of such conditions as cancer and problems with the salivary glands
2. Such oral conditions as fungal infection
3. Deficiency of such nutrients as zinc and pyridoxine
4. Allergies
5. Other medications, including hypertension medications
6. Such habits as teeth grinding and tongue biting
7. Excessive irritation of the mouth

Treatments for BMS

For secondary BMS, your doctor will first identify the underlying medical condition causing it and provide treatment for the same.

• For Acid reflux, the doctor will administer medication that helps to neutralize stomach acid
• for dry mouth, the doctor administers medication that helps boost saliva production
• For mouth infection, the doctor will administer medication to treat or relieve the pain of underlying mouth infection.

To treat primary BMS, the following can help;

• Avoiding acidic foodsDrinking cold liquids to relieve the burning sensation
• Avoiding foods that trigger burning, such as spicy foods
• Staying physically active
• Changing toothpaste if you experience burning mostly after brushing

BMS mostly disappears after some time. But before this, the above steps can help manage the pain. Austin Preventative Dentistry will see you through the condition and advice appropriately.

Wrapping it up

Individuals suffering from BMS not only undergo physical pain, but psychological and financial strains while trying out different Austin Preventative Dentistry medications. The Toothbar has helped many patients find relief to this problem. Contact us today.