Burning mouth syndrome is the medical term for ongoing (chronic) or recurrent burning in the mouth without an obvious cause. This discomfort may affect the tongue, gums, lips, inside of your cheeks, roof of your mouth or widespread areas of your whole mouth. The burning sensation can be severe, as if you scalded your mouth.
Burning mouth syndrome can appear suddenly or develop gradually over time. Unfortunately, the cause often can't be determined. Although that makes treatment more challenging, you can often get burning mouth syndrome under better control by working closely with your health care team.
Burning mouth syndrome care at Mayo Clinic
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Symptoms of burning mouth syndrome may include:
The discomfort from burning mouth syndrome typically has several different patterns. It may:
Whatever pattern of mouth discomfort you have, burning mouth syndrome may last for months to years. In rare cases, symptoms may suddenly go away on their own or become less frequent. Some sensations may be temporarily relieved during eating or drinking.
Burning mouth syndrome usually doesn't cause any noticeable physical changes to your tongue or mouth.
If you have discomfort, burning or soreness of your tongue, lips, gums or other areas of your mouth, see your doctor or dentist. They may need to work together to help pinpoint a cause and develop an effective treatment plan.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
The cause of burning mouth syndrome can be classified as either primary or secondary.
When no clinical or lab abnormalities can be identified, the condition is called primary or idiopathic burning mouth syndrome. Some research suggests that primary burning mouth syndrome is related to problems with taste and sensory nerves of the peripheral or central nervous system.
Sometimes burning mouth syndrome is caused by an underlying medical condition. In these cases, it's called secondary burning mouth syndrome.
Underlying problems that may be linked to secondary burning mouth syndrome include:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
There's no one test that can determine if you have burning mouth syndrome. Instead, your doctor or dentist will try to rule out other problems before diagnosing burning mouth syndrome.
Your doctor or dentist will review your medical history and medications, examine your mouth, and ask you to describe your symptoms, oral habits and oral care routine. In addition, your doctor will likely perform a general medical exam, looking for signs of other conditions.
You may have some of the following tests:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Complications that burning mouth syndrome may cause or be associated with are mainly related to discomfort. They include, for example:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
There's no known way to prevent burning mouth syndrome. But by avoiding tobacco, acidic foods, spicy foods and carbonated beverages, and excessive stress, you may be able to reduce the discomfort from burning mouth syndrome or prevent your discomfort from getting worse.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
In addition to medical treatment and prescription medications, these self-help measures may reduce your symptoms and your mouth discomfort:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Burning mouth syndrome can be uncomfortable and frustrating. It can reduce your quality of life if you don't take steps to stay positive and hopeful.
Consider some of these techniques to help cope with the chronic discomfort of burning mouth syndrome:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Burning mouth syndrome is uncommon. However, your risk may be greater if:
Burning mouth syndrome usually begins spontaneously, with no known triggering factor. However, certain factors may increase your risk of developing burning mouth syndrome, including:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
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