Burning Mouth Syndrome: What You Need to Know

Posted by: Dr. Sirakian Categories: Uncategorized

Have you ever experienced a burning pain in your mouth for multiple days, months, or maybe even longer? If you have, you may be experiencing Burning Mouth Syndrome, here is what you need to know.

While any abnormality in your mouth requires a trip to the doctor, burning in your mouth is a clear sign that you need some oral health help. Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is a painful condition that is identified as continued pain in your mouth including burning, scalding, tingling, and numbness. It can also result in dry mouth or an altered taste in the mouth. This pain and discomfort usually persists for a prolonged period of time and primarily affects the tongue. Your lips and the roof of your mouth can also be subject to this pain in some cases.

The pain associated with BMS can last for months or years. For some patients the pain can be constant while others find relief from eating and drinking. BMS is difficult to diagnose and often requires a consult from a specialist to confirm. Many tests may be needed to confirm the condition, including blood tests, oral swab tests, allergy tests, salivary flow test, biopsy of tissue, and imaging tests.

Once all the test results come back your specialist will diagnose you with either Primary or Secondary BMS. If they find no other underlying condition that could be causing the pain and dryness in your mouth then they will diagnose you with Primary BMS. If they find that an underlying condition such as diabetes, a thyroid problem, allergies, infection, acid reflux, or a nutritional deficiency is causing the BMS then you will be classified as experiencing Secondary BMS.

Treatment for BMS often differs from person to person and since BMS is very complex, a lot of factors go into treatment. Medicine can help to control the pain and dry mouth that BMS sufferer’s experience.

Here are some tips on how to help ease the pain of BMS; sip on a cold beverage, suck on ice chips, or chew gum. All of these things may help alleviate your pain until you can find a treatment plan that works for you.

Source

What You Need to Know About Grillz

Dental grills (also known as “grillz”) might draw attention to your teeth and your smile, but they are actually terrible for your teeth. If you have ever seen a music video featuring someone wearing grills, then you are likely looking at dental grills that are made from gold, silver, or another precious metal. While expensive […]

Xerostomia: What is it, and how do I fix it?

It’s a feeling we’ve all experienced at some point or another: a parched, gritty, can’t-get-water-fast-enough sensation that’s unpleasant at best and dangerous at worst. Xerostomia, or dry mouth, is a medical condition that we tend to write off as mere dehydration. While taking a big gulp of water can help in the short-term, if your […]

Dentistry: Not Just for Humans!

If you have a pet at home, you may have taken them for a dental checkup. That’s right, animals—especially pets and zoo animals—often need dental care. Periodontal disease is one of the biggest reasons animals lose teeth. This is particularly true for pets and zoo animals in captive who decidedly live longer than they would […]

What Other Surgeries Can an Endodontist Perform?

While endodontists are known as specialists in root canal therapy, they actually specialize in saving teeth by working with the inside of the tooth. Endodontists can do a variety of surgeries to save your natural tooth. One of these surgeries is called an apicoectomy. An apicoectomy is needed when conventional root canal treatment cannot treat […]

The Impact of Pacifier Use on Your Baby’s Teeth

There are a few benefits as to why pacifiers should be given to babies. Research has shown that pacifiers can actually help reduce incidences of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Babies who suck on pacifiers during sleep don’t fall into as deep a sleep as those who don’t suck on pacifiers. This means that if […]