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Causes for Burning Tongue Syndrome

Also known as Burning Mouth Syndrome or BMS, this condition still has a fair degree of mystery attached to it by professionals. This often means they are unable to explain to patients exactly what it is that is making their tongue burn. The condition can be extremely painful and distressing to the sufferer.

The whole area of the mouth, throat and lips can be affected by BMS and along with the well documented burning sensation on the tongue, metallic or bitter tastes in the mouth, tingling and numbness have also been reported.

As the symptoms associated with Burning Tongue Syndrome present themselves in the same way as a variety of other illnesses, these need to be eliminated first.

Diabetes: Individuals suffering form diabetes are very prone to mouth infections which can result in burning sensations on the tongue

Oral Thrush: This is one of several types of yeast infection that can inhabit the body. There are many natural home remedies effective against oral thrush or over the counter medicines are available from pharmacies.

Medication: Certain medications can irritate the mouth or cause excessive dryness. A healthy diet and drinking water regularly can help with these symptoms.

Nutritional Deficiencies: Most of the deficiencies that can cause burning on the tongue or mouth area in general are connected with vitamin and minerals. Vitamin B deficiencies in particular seem to present oral problems. This can be easily treated with Vitamin B supplements.

Irritation to the Mouth: This can be due to a variety of causes including over rigorous brushing of the tongue, ill fitting dentures that chafe on the gums and tongue and highly acidic drinks such as orange juice.

Allergies: Some people develop symptoms of burning to the tongue, the inside of the cheeks and throat as a result of an allergy to certain foods or some ingredients in toothpaste and mouthwash.

Thyroid Problems: Feelings of burning to the tongue can be an indicator of thyroid problems.

Menopause: Post menopausal and menopausal women can be susceptible to certain oral problems as their bodies undergo hormonal changes. As Burning Tongue Syndrome seems to occur 7 times more often in women than in men and more often that not within a certain age group, menopause seems to have many links with the condition.

The first port of call for someone displaying burning tongue symptoms needs to be their dentist who can offer advice and guidance. Some of the reasons for the problem can be easily identified and are treatable.

In order to arrive at the diagnosis of Burning Tongue Syndrome all of the above, and also some conditions not listed here, need to be eliminated.

Once the diagnosis has been made treatment is varied and has limited or no success in some cases. Some positive relief has been achieved through medications normally associated with psychiatric conditions and also with common painkillers. Some positive results can be gained by avoiding things such as alcohol, tobacco, alcohol based mouthwashes and toothpastes containing sodium lauryl which can heighten the feeling of tongue burn in some patients.

Recent thoughts on possible causes are linking the condition with some kind of nerve dysfunction but little progress has been made to prove this theory.

Research, as always with unexplained conditions, continues and will hopefully at some point be able to answer and therefore offer effective relief for patients who suffer from Burning Tongue Syndrome.

About the Author: Article by Outofstress.com expert author ‘Deneice Arthurton’. © 2010 Outofstress.com. Do not reproduce this article.