Burning mouth syndrome is a persistent, often painful sensation, or soreness. The main part, or back of your mouth can be affected, along with your tongue, gums, the inside of your cheeks, or throat.
Your mouth can also feel dry, or might hold a bitter, or metallic taste. Symptoms could go beyond the mouth if they continue for a sustained period, including sleeplessness, irritability, or depression.
The condition can arise in men, or women and at a variety of ages. Women are still more likely to be affected, often during or after the menopause.
In Depth Diagnosis
There is no absolute, single cause for burning mouth syndrome. A condition which can be related to diabetes, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal changes, infections, physical, or psychological causes.
This is the reason you should see a maxillofacial specialist and why they examine a wide range of possibilities. Along with talking to you, discussing your medical history, how you feel and how life is affected.
Straighforward causes can be brought to light, from medication, to infection, to dietary factors, or dental hygiene products. In a fair number of cases, further investigation could be needed.
Identifying allergies is a route to consider. Blood tests are likely to be helpful, to detect causes mentioned above, along with others such as abnormal thyroid function.
Treating Burning Mouth Syndrome
Nobody should ever give you a guarantee that burning mouth syndrome will be cured. The condition can have both psychological cause and effect, or be related to parts of the central nervous system we don’t fully understand.
Maxillofacial surgeons are however experienced in treating the hard and soft tissues of your face, mouth, or jaws. Their knowledge of your individual symptoms can bring diagnosis and treatment.
Even when missed previously, straightforward causes such as a wrongly fitting denture, unsuitable dental work, a traceable infection, even the wrong mouthwash can be found.
The same applies to a range of known, underlying conditions, which when treated relieve the further problem they are causing. This could be an unrecognised serious issue, or simply a vitamin, or mineral deficiency.
As with other neurological conditions bringing facial pain, long term, low dosage of anti depressant medication can help. Moderate dose anti convulsant medicines may suit in a few cases.
Working With You
Whilst there should be no guarantee, our London clinic will ensure that you see a leading maxillofacial consultant, who holds specific knowledge of burning mouth syndrome.
In some cases, diagnosis and intervention can be rapid, in others, process of elimination can take time. Whichever the case, our staff will work with your case on an individual basis and support you.
Burning mouth syndrome is a condition we wish to see nobody live with. We understand the issues this may bring and our team will be pleased to talk through any way they can help.
