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Sore / Burning Tongue

O

Oellph

Junior member
Joined
Mar 23, 2013
Messages
3
Hi all,

I'm reaching out in the hope to get some guidance. Back in 2004 my Dad died. About 3 months later I started waking up with a sore/burning throat, thought it was the start of a cold until none transpired. I ended up on proton pump inhibitors which successfully cured it. But because the burning / reflux would come back if I stopped for a 3 or more days I ended up taking one 10mg tablet every 2-3 days until 2011. In May of that year I tried tapering off the tablets, not wanting to be on them my whole life. It ended up down to 1 a week in the Autumn of 2011 and decided to stop completely. At around the same time my tongue started feeling a bit sore - mostly on the tip. I had no reflux symptoms.

By Jan 2012 my tongue was feeling sore (or burning) most days and I think I developed a habit of pushing it against my teeth and having general tension in my jaw. I went back on the tablets, 20mg every day for 3 months but my tongue did not get better. Between my doctor and I we decided that it wasn't reflux related. The pain has persisted ever since. Some days are better than others. And for a couple months last Autumn it actually felt a lot better - not completely gone but much better.

Dentists which have checked over my mouth can see no physiological problems or causes and mention burning mouth syndrome. I do have a partially erupted wisdom tooth on my lower right jaw which is at an odd angle and essentially stuck. Part of me still wonders if I'm somehow suffering from some form of silent reflux which is affecting my tongue. Although it normally starts at the front, then sides, rarely the back, and this seems illogical when considering where reflux comes from. I would've expected the time on the tablets to have made a difference as well.

I guess it could be BMS, in which case I just have to lump it :( But I wonder if my wisdom tooth could be causing some nerve damage or interference and contribute? I also haven't changed my toothpaste and considering trying this, or brushing with water and bicarb of soda.

Days like today get me really down and it affects my family life so I'm desperate to find explanations or a cure from wherever possible.
 
It can quite often be a sign of mild anaemia, best thing to check is a Folic acid and Vit B12 blood test. Whole blood counts normally used for anaemia diagnosis are too gross to show this up. Increasing the amount of folic acid in your diet is always a good thing, lots of fresh veg, especially cauliflower and broccoli is a good idea.

Changing toothpaste might help, if you can find one without SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) then that'll be good.
It's also very stress related, so general stress reduction stuff may help.

The wisdom tooth is unlikely to be involved.
 
Thank you Gordon, I've ordered some SLS-free toothpaste but in the meantime have been trying with just baking soda. I've also just started on a vitamin b complex supplement which includes folic acid. Hopefully these couple things will make a difference.

Stress seems to be the difficult one for me. I do find I clench my jaw and push my tongue against my teeth when I'm stressed. Now I'm not sure where it's supposed to go! :) I'll work on that.
 
Have you an iPhone? I've found the Andrew Johnston relaxation stuff on iTunes quite helpful personally.

The vitamins are fine, but don't forget to munch on some veggies as well, keep us posted.
 
Thank you, I will do.
 
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