Do you know how it feels when you’ve taken a hefty swig of tea or coffee, thinking it had cooled down enough to drink, only to find that your tongue and everything else behind your lips is on fire? Well that feeling is something I’ve lived with for many years but only a few years ago did I discover that it is, in fact, a well-known condition, Burning Mouth Syndrome. At least, it’s well known in some quarters but not, it appears, among GPs, dentists or pharmacists!
So, where on earth do you go to find out what is wrong? Having suffered from severe migraines in my early twenties, I learned to keep a food and mood diary to see what the triggers were. I knew there was now something amiss with my mouth because my old food diary habit kicked in and made me realise that one cause of the discomfort was fizzy drinks. Not only did they cause my mouth to burn, they also caused the skin to peel off from inside my cheeks. When I say ‘peel’ I mean fall off like a snake shedding its skin – by the bucketload!
My hygienist suggested I speak to my GP about it. My GP told me to sip water to keep my lips moist! (Note to doctors: LISTEN TO YOUR PATIENTS AND TRY NOT TO SKIP THE IMPORTANT BITS!) Back to the dentist and she was no more help. Back to the GP – a different one – and for once my cheeks were peeling (inside my mouth) while there so she actually saw what I meant. It seems this was the first time she’d seen anything like it but at least a professional had seen what I was talking about. I was referred back to the dentist with the request that they refer me to a specialist dental hospital. This time I saw a different dentist who accepted that something was wrong and suggested that I could also try to change my toothpaste for one which didn’t contain sodium lauryl sulphate. While waiting for the referral I made the change but found I still had the problem. More on this later…
I checked a number of websites to see if anyone else had this problem but didn’t get very far. I was obviously not using the right search words.
Help at last
Shortly afterwards I arrived at the Eastman Dental Hospital in Gray’s Inn Road (London), where I was not treated as a freak but, rather, as a serious case worthy of investigation. Unfortunately, after various blood tests, I was found to be one of the many sufferers for whom vitamin deficiency, hormone imbalance and other definable causes was not the basis of my problem. So, it seems, ignorance of the condition is not so strange since the actual cause is still shrouded in mystery. I was invited to, and attended, a forum where the condition and its possible causes were discussed. Like every other sufferer to whom I spoke, I was amazed that so many people suffered from the problem and, even more amazed that the average time we’d suffered before finding someone who would take us seriously, was about six years.
One of the treatments available to us, for whom no definable cause could be found, was psychological counselling. Some of my fellow sufferers really did suffer and they jumped at the chance of the counselling. I was lucky in that I found I wasn’t as distressed by the condition once I found out that I was not alone, that it was a recognised condition, and that there were people actively trying to find answers.
Since then I have determined that one of my favourite naughty snacks, salt and vinegar crisps, are a major cause of the discomfort. WHY?
Some BMS Triggers
I have now managed to isolate a number of things which case burning mouth syndrome, at least in my mouth!
Salt and vinegar crisps, of course, which is very unfair.
Sodium lauryl sulphate – not a problem as I’ve since discovered that it can be found in all manner of unlikely products such as toilet cleaners! The only problem I have with this is aging eyesight which means I have to take a magnifying glass with me when I go shopping.
Sodium Fluoride (NaF) – also found in toothpaste and with an oh so appropriate chemical formula! Our wonderful nannies, the government, say we have to have fluoride pumped into us or our teeth will all fall out. Well, let me assure you, I would rather my teeth fell out than that anyone should have to suffer this problem. Oddly, sodium monofluorophosphate does not cause my burning mouth syndrome, so maybe fluoride is not the poison I have for so long believed it to be. Maybe the government could be generous for once and offer to pay for my glasses so that I can read the labels to make sure I don’t inadvertently buy toothpaste with the wrong fluoride compound.
Carbonated drinks – I have never been a great fan of fizzy drinks but every so often I do fancy something fizzy. Big mistake! Instant mouth stripper!
More Information
If you want more information, there are a number of sites which can help, although not all sufferers have the same symptoms, triggers or potential cures. For example, the Mayo Clinic website suggests drinking lots of fluids to avoid the dry mouth feeling. I don’t have that particular problem. In fact I tend to produce far too much saliva! As for NHS Choices, their contribution is far from helpful:
glossodynia or “burning mouth syndrome” – a burning pain on the tip of the tongue that often affects people with depression
Tip of the tongue is only one of the many parts of the mouth which is affected and, to be fair, the syndrome is more likely to cause depression than to result from it!
The following may be of some interest and contain more information:
https://www.dentalhealth.org/tell-me-about/topic/sundry/burning-mouth-syndrome
www.webmd.boots.com/oral-health/burning-mouth-syndrome
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