Burning Mouth Syndrome

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Red Light Therapy for Burning Gums

Quinn (Arizona) on 11/07/2023
5 out of 5 stars

Burning Gums

I suffered with gums that were on fire for over 2 years. I tried everything - and came here a lot for inspiration.

Nothing worked. Then I discovered red light therapy. I was hopeful that could work & it did! I ordered the Handheld Red Light Therapy Device Pro from U----e. This red light has an attachment tip you can put in your mouth. I saw something similar also on Amazon.

The day I received it, I used it for 20-25 minutes on my entire gums. That night, I observed that the pain had turned to a tingling sensation that lasted all night.

When I woke up the next morning, I was pain free! I still use it occasionally on my gums, but for the most part, I have remained pain free. Praise God!

Quinn

REPLY   2      

Anti-Candida Diet Helped Burning Lip Syndrome

Leslei (Alaska) on 02/23/2022
5 out of 5 stars

My boyfriend had burning lip syndrome several times in his life. So miserable for him. We tried everything, brushing only with baking soda, peroxide rinse in mouth, and only relief he got was from ice cube. Finally went to doctor. He had a huge overgrowth of Candida. He took anti-fungal medicine and we went on basic no carb diet for two months. We drank lots of water. He detoxed hard. He hated giving up bread, beer, candy, chips, junk food and so after two months he quit. It stopped the burning on his lips. He never went back to toothpaste, just baking soda. We kept toothbrushes in peroxide and replaced them every two weeks. Candida once gets in your blood, systemic, is hard to get rid of. We also took pills, [email protected], has an amazing set. he’s on YouTube Eric Bakker.
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Try Changing Toothpaste First for Burning Mouth Syndrome!

Mama to Many (TN) on 02/19/2022
5 out of 5 stars

My daughter has had some mouth issues on and off the last few years since wearing braces. The braces are off now but still she has had intermittent trouble with mouth sores and a burned feeling in her mouth. She has learned that she probably has a cinnamon allergy - at least if she consumes a large amount of cinnamon.

But even still she would say that her mouth was burning, and it felt like her taste buds had been burned off and she couldn't taste anything. I wondered if it was a delayed covid reaction since we had covid a month ago.

Then it dawned on me. Burning mouth syndrome. I have read about it here on Earth Clinic many times. I tried to remember what remedies I had read about, and it hit me. Her toothpaste. She uses one with SLS. I told her my suspicion and told her not to use her toothpaste anymore.

The next day I bought her some Burt's Bees toothpaste. She has been using it ever since and now her mouth is fine! I know it isn't such an easy fix for many people, but it is surely an easy thing to try first!

~Mama to Many~

REPLY   5      



Saffron and Goldenseal Helping Burning Mouth Syndrome

Natalia (Melbourne ) on 02/15/2021
5 out of 5 stars

I have recently been diagnosed with BMS by an oral medicine specialist and prescribed clonozepam rinse. It made me feel awful, detached from my body even though I wasn’t swallowing it.

Through trial and error and consuming all the usual supplements for this condition (Alfa lipoic acid, zinc, vitamin B’s, soda, clove etc - to very little effect) I have found most relief in the last few days from saffron tea (20 strands per glass of hot water, steeped for 10 min) I sip it throughout the morning and hold it in my mouth before swallowing it.

Also at the same time I started taking Goldenseal - dissolve a capsule in half a glass of water and hold in my mouth for about 3 min then swallow it. Don’t know what works better.

There is a lot of studies recently about saffron treating depression, BMS and other conditions. I’m not out of the woods yet as my mouth is still not back to normal but this is the first little sign of improvement I’ve experienced in the last two months. To be continued...

REPLY   2      

Burning Mouth Syndrome Triggers

Rusty (Montana) on 11/07/2020
5 out of 5 stars

I found that eating tart apples brought on my burning mouth.

No more apples.

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MMS for Burning Mouth Syndrome

Cathy (Dallas, Texas) on 06/25/2020
4 out of 5 stars

1 drop of activated mms in 2 ounces of very warm water gargled twice a day helps with burning, swelling and mouth pain. Not a cure but really helps with the symptoms.
REPLY   2      

Milk of Magnesia and Frankincense for Burning Mouth Syndrome

Jean (Melbourne, Fl) on 09/02/2018
5 out of 5 stars

Banished Burning mouth. So distracting and distressing.

What I did was try MOM [Milk of Magnesia]; big swig in mouth and hold there as long as can before spitting out. No rinsing. Then one drop therapeutic Frankincense vitality on softest possible dry toothbrush and brushed thoroughly on teeth, above gumline, and tongue gently.

Try not to rinse with water right away.

I did this treatment twice a day for 3 days. Then added a day again if flared up.

Hydrogen peroxide seemed to bring it back on.

I also upped my probiotics.

God Bless.

REPLY   9      

Carbonated Water Soothing for Burning Mouth Syndrome

Nic (Sunderland) on 08/12/2018
4 out of 5 stars

I have found sparkling water, like Perrier or any supermarket brand with carbonation, very soothing. Also chinese herbal mouth wash.
REPLY   2      

Burning Mouth Syndrome - Low-Dose Naltrexone

Anon (Canada) on 07/06/2018
5 out of 5 stars

Here is a link to a woman who has BMS and Sjogren's which was helped by taking low-dose naltrexone (LDN). I hope this can help someone with these ailments.

https://www.ldnscience.org/resources/interviews-patients/cindy-alan-sjogrens-osteoarthritis-arthritis-pain

It seems the most difficult part is finding a doctor who will prescribe it. Good luck.

REPLY   3      

Vitamin B12, ALA for Burning Mouth Syndrome

Roy (Missouri) on 06/30/2018
4 out of 5 stars

Have had bms for over a year and a half now and it wasn't until a couple months ago I knew the symptoms even had a name. Raw tongue throughout the day. Anything salty tasted like it was solid salt. Any oil in cooking made meals taste like they were covered in motor oil.

Started mega doses of subliminal B12 and alpha lipoic acid. Probably over 2400mgs a day. Got maybe 50% better. Then read where there are 2 versions of ala. An E type and S type. Most supplements have both forms but your body can only assimilate the R version. Have been on that version for almost a week now. 2400mg a day. Also super b complex.

I traced my beginning issues back to when I was put on gabapentin for anxiety. Have been on 1600mg a day for almost a year. Have backed that off to night time only at 400mg and will watch for withdrawal symptoms and discuss with my doctor in two weeks. Some sites say GABA helps bms other sites say it makes the symptoms worse.

I'm at my wits end with this hanging over my head from morning till night.

REPLY   4      

Valerian Helped Spasms from Burning Mouth Syndrome

Wilhelmina (The Netherlands) on 03/12/2018
5 out of 5 stars

I am suffering from Burning mouth disease for over 15 years. At last I got spasms.. I took valerian, and that stopt the spasms. About 20 mg each 4 hours. Not the pain, helas.
REPLY   1      

Burning Tongue Syndrome and Alpha Lipoic Acid

Linda (Mpls, Mn) on 01/20/2018
5 out of 5 stars

I had burning mouth syndrome that was increasingly getting worse. I had it for four months and read about taking Alpha Lipoic Acid. I couldn’t believe it. Within the first week the burning in my mouth started to decrease along with the reflux. I am now 1 month out from starting to take it and I have very very minimal symptoms only on my tongue. I continue to take it and for me it worked.
REPLY   6      

ALA has been Helping Burning Mouth Syndrome for Years

Girl On Fire (Tiffin, Oh) on 08/15/2017
4 out of 5 stars

After suffering for almost 2 years, going to multiple doctors and even a homeopathic practitioner, I made a list of possible remedies that I found in different forums online, and started to work my way down the list. Thank goodness, Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) was at the top. 200mg 3 x per day for 4-6 weeks, then dropped the dose to 200mg per day. - always on an empty stomach. It works pretty well - not 100%, but pretty well - and it's cheap. I started the ALA in April of 2013. It is now August of 2017. I am 53 yrs old. This all started when I was 47. I have very well controlled diabetes - no meds and am entering menopause - those were two of the factors that seem to be most represented in the studies I found. I am hoping that once I get through menopause this will just go away. By the way, I do have flair ups on the ALA that last for a few days but they are manageable.
REPLY   4      

Burning Mouth Syndrome May Be Connected to Shingles/Herpes Virus

Jules (Buffalo, Ny) on 05/03/2017
4 out of 5 stars

I few months ago I woke up with my tongue swollen and painful. I was on a cruise ship, so I chalked it up to too many mimosas/bloodies and maybe the acid got me. Well, it didn't really go away. Here's the chain of events leading up to this: 1. I had a cold sore outbreak about 2 weeks before I left on my trip. Then, I had some allergy issues from pollen in the air and used some Afrin nose spray. What I didn't realize was that the Afrin EXPIRED like 3 years ago!!! It was an old bottle. Well, I left the next day and came down with a TERRIBLE sinus infection...TERRIBLE!!! Obviously, I infected myself with something from old medication (that had been snuffed up my nose! ). The day after the nose thing cleared up, I woke up with my tongue swollen and on fire. Again, I thought it was too many acidy drinks on the ship. After I got home, about a week later, It sort of went down a bit and I thought I was on the mend. Then, I got my teeth cleaned at the dentist. Dentist ruled out Thrush..... She gave me these new tooth whitening trays to try out and see if my sensitive teeth could handle them. So, I picked a day and tried them out. Later that night, my teeth started aching, so no more whitening for me! Then, maybe 2 days later, my tongue was swollen and on fire AGAIN! It would kind of be better in the AM, then progressively get worse by evening. I read a bunch of stuff on the internet to figure out what this could possible be.

First things up were: Thyroid, Hormones or vitamin deficiency. I went for blood work, and it all came back fine. In the meantime, I started taking vitamin supplements anyway....Time passes.....I have used all kinds of things to get the pain down, really to no avail........Then............I remembered that in 2005 I had Shingles/Herpes in my right EYE!!! I know, weird, right? SO I looked up exactly which nerve Chicken Pox hangs out in and what it does. Well guess what? It's the same nerve that it lives in when it gets in your eye!!! And the symptoms I have been having match SHINGLES in my MOUTH!

I did a search for BMS and Herpes Shingles etc and all KINDS of stuff came up! SO, I called my dentist and started on Valtrex yesterday. Call me crazy, but I think it may be helping. It has only been a day, and it's early yet, so we will see. Apparently, you can get it in your mouth without having blisters. I'll update in a few days on how this is working! Oh, and I am a 49 year old female in good health, on no meds, not overweight, BP nice and low. I hope this helps someone!!!

REPLY   4      

Dietary Changes Gradually Helped Burning Mouth Syndrome Symptoms

Linda (Prattsburgh ) on 05/02/2017
5 out of 5 stars

I had burning mouth syndrome for about a year. It was very painful at first but I found a doctor in Ithaca, Dr Richard Cohen. He is a doctor of homeopathic medicine and he is very knowledgeable regarding burning mouth. He prescribed supplements that did make it go away, unfortunately I had a skin reaction to the supplements. But by following his diet (no grains, they fuel the inflammation) it gradually decreased. I now know which foods I have to avoid ( raw strawberries, orange juice) and I have found foods that help (weirdly, hot pepperoni and chamomile tea.) So hang in there and keep working at it until you figure out what makes it worse and what helps. Keeping a food journal was very helpful.
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Vitamin B12 for Burning Mouth Syndrome

Mike H. (California) on 12/18/2016
5 out of 5 stars

I had ear surgery to repair an ear drum. As soon as I woke up my mouth felt strange. It took me two weeks to realize something was really wrong. My mouth was on fire all the time and food tasted metallic and some things tasted very bitter and I also lost the taste buds a bit. As I googled my symptoms, burning mouth or thrush seemed to be the problem. I tried all the home remedies and nothing helped. My mouth hurt all the time and eating was not fun. My doctor thought maybe a nerved in my ear was stretched from the surgery and the symptoms fit that too, but he said he would give my Nystatin to give it a shot, but he did not think I had thrush.

After 4 days of swish and spit with the Nystatin, my tongue and hurt more than ever and my lips were getting little cracks and fissures on the inside and I knew that was not thrush. I kept searching for answers and I read about B12 and probiotics and lysine and ALA. I went and bought those.

Yesterday I took all of those and one dose of sublingual B12. Today I only took one dose of sublingual B-12. About 20 minutes later my tongue started to "come back" I sat here amazed as I realized I now only have a small spot still feeling like it is burning. I have had this for over a month now. I am honestly shocked. And so happy. Burning mouth syndrome is very painful and constant.

So then I started researching BMS and B12 deficiency and I have been taking heartburn meds for over 20 years almost daily and I am over 50.
I guess your stomach cannot absorb the B12 and it takes up to 7 years to show the symptoms! Right now I just cannot believe my tongue and mouth are not killing me. I going to stop everything but the B12 drops since I want to confirm that is the cure.

REPLY   11      

Discovered What Caused My Burning Mouth Syndrome

Diane (Canada) on 11/22/2016

I had a burning tongue about 2 years ago and many appointments. ( 3 doctors, many blood tests, dentist and finally the ENT). Everything looked normal except my tongue was burning and driving me crazy.

When I finally saw the ENT, he was very helpful. He looked at the tongue and mouth, and right away, he said he could see that I had the habit of running my tongue over my teeth. I was probably doing it many, many times a day without noticing it, like a nervous tic. The diagnosis was burning tongue syndrome, but he was sure it was caused by this habit. He said : the good news is there is nothing wrong with you. The bad news is I can't help you.

He said the only thing to do is to be conscious when I am moving my tongue in my mouth, specially when I am running it over my teeth. Then, consciously make the effort to just relax my tongue at the bottom of my mouth. It will go away once you relax.

In my case, he was right. I started noticing how much I move my tongue in my mouth specially when I am stressed. It feels like it's in constant motion. Worst in the afternoon, when stress level is rising and I start feeling tired. So I started by making a point to take breaks at work. I would sit down for about 15 minutes, breath, and relax the tongue at the bottom of my mouth. At first it felt weird, like it wouldn't relax. What helps is gathering saliva in my mouth ( sorry if it sounds gross! ) and kind of let the tongue bathe in the saliva. It seems to relax better that way. I also try to relax my whole face, and the jaw during this little session ( I am always surprised how tense my face can be! ) . After about a week of doing this a few times a day, I really started to see some improvement.

I am pretty much symptom free now, but I get the burning feeling once in a while, specially late afternoon, during stressful hectic days, or when I am worried. Then I make a point of doing this relaxing exercise and it just goes away on it own again.

I am easily stressed and tense. Some people bite their nails. I knew I was a lip chewer, but I hadn't realize I was also obsessively rubbing my tongue on my teeth, and that is what was causing my tongue problem.

I sincerely hope it can help someone else.

REPLY   8      

Alpha Lipoic Acid, St. John's Wort, Wood Betony for Burning Mouth Syndrome

Dreadfulwitchdoctor (Texas) on 08/03/2016
4 out of 5 stars

I've had BMS for about 4 years. I've tried every remedy and some helped more than others. I settled on alpha lipoic acid as the most effective, even though it just reduces the symptoms; it doesn't eliminate them. I tried the r-ALA and couldn't tell much difference, if any. I was disappointed because I've read from so many different people that it was much better. Since it's so much more expensive it isn't worth paying for it, for me. Others may, and obviously do, have different experiences. I take 300 mg three times a day.

I decided to add wood betony since I had some and I know this herb is useful for nerve issues, particularly related to the head. I do feel I get a slight improvement from this addition. I make a tincture from the dried herb and a menstruum of 50% Everclear and 50% distilled water. You could also use straight vodka. I let it sit for about six weeks then strain into a dropper bottle. I take a dropperful a couple of times a day but it would probably be better if I upped that to three.

The wood betony got me thinking about other herbs for nerve pain/damage and realized I should use St. John's Wort. I'd never used SJW for nerve problems before, but I have read that it's excellent both internally and externally for that purpose. I do know that it loses potency quickly when dried, so I ordered some from a source I know to have fresh, high quality herbs and started making tea with it. I am in the process of making a tincture from it as well, since my understanding is that you can get a quality tincture if you make it shortly after the SJW is dried. But I may just continue drinking my tea (and add the wood betony to my infuser) since I think the surface contact is helping as well. I've been letting it cool enough that I can take a large sip and hold and swish it in my mouth to bathe the inside surface of my mouth with SJW. I let my herbal teas infuse for about 10 minutes, covered.

I've been using ALA almost exclusively for at least a couple of years now, but the addition of both of these herbs, especially the SJW, has done a lot to alleviate the residual discomfort.

REPLY   1      

Vitamin B12 and Lipoic Acid for Burning Mouth Syndrome

Michel (Tx) on 07/17/2016
5 out of 5 stars

B12 in conjunction with Lipoic Acid has TOTALLY gotten rid of my BMS!! I have tried every single DYI I've read about, including drugs my doctor prescribed...the only temporary relief was rinsing my mouth with Apple Cider Vinegar, and even that was painful. Depression was setting in because the inside of my lips felt like there were small flat raw lesions that came and went in different areas, and around the front tip and edges of my tongue were ON FIRE all the time, 24/7! I then read about taking B12 and Lipoic Acid together.

This is my own DIY (I weigh 135lbs) 3000mcg B12 with 300mg Alpha Lipoic Acid in the morning, and 1000mcg B12 and 300mg Lipoic Acid after dinner. You can adjust and see what works for you.

Within just a week all the little lesions were gone from inside of my lips and my tongue barely had any sensitivity. As of today, 7/17/16 I've had 4 total days PAIN FREE. I've also been able to go back to brushing my teeth with my regular toothpaste with NO BURNING!! I feel like I've died and gone to heaven. I wish you all the best if you try this.

REPLY   16      

Multiple Remedies for Burning Mouth Syndrome

Rainbow (Melbourne, Australia) on 06/07/2016
4 out of 5 stars

Like others here, I believe my Burning Mouth syndrome is linked with neck pain --- I had some physiotherapy done to free up my neck joints, and SUDDENLY the mouth pain diminished! The physio explained that it's the same nerve that is sending those aggravating pain signals to our tongue. Since then I've been much more attentive to exercise, stretching, and stress reduction. I also take Alpha Lipoic Acid, and vitamin B-3 for nerve pain. (plus all the regular B and iron supplements...). I've eliminated regular toothpastes and use natural pink salt water to gargle. A specialist gave me TACROLIMUS ointment for my tongue - that seems to help. Also, apparently if your problem is autoimmune related, the drug Plaquenil will help (it does for me). I also get acupuncture to balance my system. Have courage! I've had this awful problem for a year - and finally, I'm beating it. I'm hoping you can, too.
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