... without treatment? I had a benign cyst removed from my throat 7 years ago and this triggered my burning tongue syndrome. What hell! I've been to countless dentists, ENTS, oral surgeons, GPs and NONE of them know what to do. I've had my teeth ground-down, capped and night guarded, all to no avail. This site helps me feel I'm not so alone and suffering in silence. I can't stand to think I will live with this the rest of my life. Is it possible for it to just dissappear and resolve on its own? Thanks all
Burning Mouth Syndrome - I've had BMS for seven years. Has anyone had this go away on its own?
Question posted by gonzo jen on 5 Sep 2013
Last updated on 23 July 2023
140 Answers Page 6
BMSSufferer
28 March 2018
I have had BMS for over 9 years and was professionally diagnosed in 2014 and have pretty much given up any hope of it going away on its own. The doctor prescribed gabapentin which I took for over 2 years but I had no relief from the symptoms so I no longer take it. I have also tried various other treatments that were recommended but nothing seemed to help until my dentist prescribed a night guard for clenching which I am sure was caused by the discomfort of the BMS. I discovered that while wearing the night guard the burning sensation was completely gone so I tried wearing it during the day to see if it helped and it was absolutely amazing!! The burning instantly stopped and my mouth felt almost normal again. I searched online and found a website that sells a day guard for clenching and it is small and clear kind of like Invisalign so I decided to give it a try.
I have been wearing the day guard for a year and a half now and it is still working just as well as the first day! I do replace it with a new one about every six months because it gets pretty worn looking but at only $150 it is so worth it. I order mine online from proteethguard.com but there are several other websites that sell them too.
I do remove it when eating and drinking anything besides water but other than that I wear it at all times. I highly recommend trying this solution and I hope it works as well for you as it has for me.
wacky120
27 March 2018
Hi there, I was suffering terribly with this until recently, the burning was also making me produce excessive saliva which was really embarrassing. I started to eat live natural yoghurt twice a day (this really cooled it down) and then stopped using all menthol/minty products (eg. mouthwash, chewing gum, toothpaste etc) I changed my toothpaste to a baking soda one. My burning mouth is no more and it feels great.
Principina
12 April 2018
Hi, I have been suffering from very bad acid reflux for quite a while now and have Gerd! I also had rotator cuff surgery a week ago and three days after I felt like all food tasted spicy and my mouth started to feel like little cuts inside the cheeks with a awful burning sensation. Does this sound like I now have BMS to add to my other list of health issues? Happy to have found this board. Thanks for listening
DianeMaree
15 Feb 2018
Hello. I've had burning mouth for over 6 years. Tried everything. Am currently under a specialist who's answer is clonozapan. Been on this 2 years. Slight improvement. I've recently started having laser treatment and combined this with 1 hour lymphatic body massage. I have improved significantly in the past 2 weeks. So much . 3 massages. 3 weeks. Also have a small electronic device that I believe is helping. Would love to hear from anyone prepared to try this to see if you have the same result. I am thrilled. Happy to give more details if anyone is interested.
greggc
15 Feb 2018
I would love to know more - I have had BM for about 9 years and have tried so many things with no relief. I'd be interested in knowing more about the laser treatments and the lymphatic massage. Are these both for your burning mouth? Can you also tell me where your mouth burns - what part of your mouth? Thanks very much
stephjune
4 Dec 2017
Hi, I have also had a dental procedure which has caused pain in my mouth when the incision was. Over time the pain is spreading to my entire upper hard palate. I am going to an acupuncturist this morning to see if that can help. But 3 years ago I went to the UCLA Orofacial
Clinic in their dental hospital, and after trying about 6 things to get rid of the pain they finally made me a dental appliance which covers the part of the upper hard palate that is causing me pain. It helps a lot, even to the point that sometimes I cannot feel the pain. I cannot live without it even. If you have the money it is definitely worth getting one. It keeps my tongue off the sensitive part of my palate, which, at least for me, is the action that causes more pain in my mouth. Hope this helps. If the acupuncturist helps me I'll be sure to respond on this blog!!!
AMJ60
26 Nov 2017
The cyst must be the trigger and was.connected to nerves as it def is a nerve issue as I have had bm for 4 years and I found out last week I have a cyst as I had a ct scan of sinuses and it showed up
I take amytrypline 5 mg daily
It helps a bit plus I get acupuncture every three weeks
I think as I get hay fever as moved back up to north and been taking antihistamines and previous to this it had lessened I think nerves and body fluid Is the link
It comes and goes and
Chewing gum helps
And getting mind off it
No body gets it that's for sure
Try rinsing mouth with Tabasco sauce and get it hotter and hotter that's what a oral man told me to do it helped when it was at its worst
And sleep helps and cooler weather and it's nerve related
jayne07
26 Nov 2017
I too have this condition, and have started on Amytryptyline, How long does this take to work/help? and with mine,I have strange sensations in cheek,like a lump/swollen feeling,and feels like tooth is rubbing inside my cheek,(which comes and goes) Dental team say all looks fine. Do anybody have similar,and has Amytryptyline eased that? Thanks Jayne.
sandraelsie
26 Nov 2017
over the past five weeks my burning tongue has really flared up again it never really goes away but it sure can come back with some ferocity. once again only a low dose of tramadol has helped, either one or two per day, or the oral clonezapam. i never take the tramadol for more than 5 days without giving it a break. this time the tramadol has had better effect. i find that oral curasept implant helps tremendously with the tongue lesions if anyone suffers from these. today its hardly there, thank god. please try these medications if you suffer badly i was in terrible way with mine and like lots of other people had seen loads of various kinds of doctors, some oral maxillofacial consultants were less than helpful. i find pain specialist have tried harder to help me.
BMSSufferer
25 Nov 2017
I have had BMS for about 10 years and have given up on the idea that it will go away on its own. I have been to doctors and dentist and none have any solutions. I was given gabapentin which I took for two years but it was not helping so I discontinued taking it. I also only have relief when chewing gum or eating and drinking. I did however stumble upon a solution that gives me instant relief and I consider it to be the only cure that I will ever find. My dentist had given me a night guard for clenching which I’m sure is caused by the BMS. I did notice that when I put the guard in at night that it gave me tremendous relief from the burning so I decided to try it during the day, it was amazing! Of course the nightguard is huge and way too bulky to wear during the day so I searched online and found a company that makes a smaller clear one for daytime wear so I ordered one.
I have been using it for about a year now and it has made a huge difference! If you already have a night guard I would recommend wearing it during the day and see if it helps you, if so I would suggest purchasing the day guard. The website I get mine from is proteethguard.com and if you search for a coupon code you can usually find one for 20% off. You do have to replace it about every six months because it gets pretty beat up wearing it all the time but it is definitely worth it! I hope this helps others as much as it has helped me, Good Luck!
nomorewalnuts123
25 Nov 2017
Hey all...
Yes I chew gum a lot, realized lately that I have a dry mouth. Would wake up at night with my mouth all dried out. Really icky feeling. Then I read online that when your body isn't making sufficient amounts of saliva, the natural defenses in the saliva are greatly diminished. So I started taping my mouth closed at night! I just put a short (1") strip of the sticky part of a bandaid vertically in the center of my top lip and down to my lower lip. Now I don't wake up 5 or 6 times a night needing to drink some water to keep my mouth sufficiently moist, and my issues with burning mouth, whereas not completely gone, are less aggravating and farther between incidents. I have had some times where, due to eating scratchy food or biting my cheek or tongue I was certain that I was doomed to wake up to a new canker sore (as I am prone to them, too) and yet, with my mouth taped closed all night...
it doesn't progress into a canker sore! I really do believe everyone's issues are different, but I think a big key lies in physical "injury" to the inside of the mouth (too much poking my tongue around... scratching the lining of the mouth or tongue with "crisp" or hard food, and not enough saliva production) combined with food sensitivities. And out of all of those, I think the decreased saliva production (which happens with age and assorted medical conditions) is probably the biggest variable in terms of causality.
Simone222
25 Nov 2017
I have been suffering and burning mouth syndrome for over six months now. This started after trying to scrape out of here they got caught in the back of my throat my nail. I have a very grainy tongue now burning that is more severe at night and an awful metallic taste in my mouth all the time. After three visits to my doctor I was set up with an EMT who diagnosed me with burning mouth syndrome and said it’s very hard thing to cure as there are many underlying problems that could cause it and the healing process is very slow he turned me onto the only known specialist that deals with burning mouth syndrome and she just happens to be in Toronto lucky me hopefully she will be able to Figure this out as there is no one else that deals in this syndrome. If anybody is interested her name is Dr. Mariam Grushka 416 787 2930. My EMT says she is world renowned and one of the only people that has studied the syndrome and has regiments to get rid of it wish me luck as I am so tired of dealing with this, As I’m sure you all are too.
sandy75170
11 April 2018
Hello Simone, did she help you?
TLS1
9 Nov 2017
I have had burning tongue for over 10 years so My heart goes out to everyone who deals with this terrible condition. I have tried so many different remedies as I am sure most of you have too. My dentist and medical doctor didn’t know what to do besides medication which I did not want to take.
So I decided to try a naturopath doctor and although she helped me with other issues she couldn’t help me with burning tongue. I had read about a program called NAET (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technology). I had never heard of it before but I found it very interesting cause I was ready to try anything. So tired of dealing with the pain of my tongue constantly.
Found a chiropractor that did the NAET program in my area by looking online.
I have had about 14 treatments. I had no idea I was allergic to everything, things I hadn’t a clue that I was even allergic too! I am slowly seeing a real progress of my tongue feeling better. I never thought I would have a normal tongue again. It is not completely healed but I can tell it is slowly getting better. Don’t know how long I will have to get treatments but so worth it. Also I want to mention that finding out about homeopathy for burning tongue helps too. I encourage anyone with this horrible condition to check out both of these options. They help so much.
DianeMaree
28 Oct 2017
Hi Jen. I have had BMs for 6 years and like you have tried everything. Recently I discovered mls laser therapy. I have had 6 treatments and am having better success in 6 weeks than in all the 6 years of pills and potions from other sources. Please google it. I believe that this may actually be working.
ixa
8 July 2017
Hi there
I have recently been treated for my mouth by a head and neck surgeon in London and it is wonderful.
I do not experience the burning in my mouth within two sessions of laser.
nomorewalnuts123
8 July 2017
Hi ixa, what kind of lazer treatment? So the burning is completely gone? Thank you for any further info.
sandraelsie
13 July 2017
could you expand on the treatment and where you had this done. if mine comes back as bad as it was i will try anything.
Lindafromaustralia
19 Aug 2017
My BMS is caused by my second Microvascular decompression operation to treat Trigeminal neuralgia. The second operation I had tiny veins strangling my trigeminal nerve so the nerve was damaged and BMS is mine forever. I take tegratol which helps a little but I find as soon as I get up and move around the burning starts. I also find eating anything makes the pain worse and also talking so I drink water during the day and have only 1 meal a day at night after I've taken my meds. I find ice chips help a bit as the pain gets unbearable later in the afternoon. I know it is neuropathic pain but somehow ice tricks my mind into cooling down my mouth. It is not a very nice prospect knowing I have to deal with this pain for the rest of my life as I am only 48 but I just take 1 day at a time. I didn't realise so many people had the same affliction as me and I wish you all well on your BMS journeys
Bsrbie
25 Nov 2017
What kind of treatment? Mls lazer?
Michael3551
2 July 2017
BMS seems to cover a range of conditions all unpleasant, all defeating clinicians and all we don't want for the rest of our lives ( think that puts us all on the same page ). My symptons again seem different in that my mouth isn't dry but 24/7 seems to have some sort of frothy mucus which my tongue constantly tries to remove, this has also spread to my nose, ears and eyes and now my chin has become oily and itchy. The mouth issue restricts what I can eat tremendously so I have given up going to restaurants, bars or cooking at home. Nearly everything has to be coated in Mayonaise. Clinicians ask me to describe how it feels - since I have never had this before my Brain struggles for descriptions and since the Clinician hasn't experienced it he wouldn't know what I mean't if I could describe it accurately. It's now 3 and a half years I have had this. I do get some relief if I sit down ( Distraction ? ) but it all floods back once I stand.
If anyone else enjoys ( hohohohoho ) any symptons similiar to mine I would love to hear from you. You are welcome to private message if you want.
Each morning when you wake up, imagine in your mind there are 1000's waking somewhere feeling just like you at that moment. Mike xx
nomorewalnuts123
2 July 2017
To add to your sentiments, Michael, there don't seem to be very many doctors or studies that focus on issues concerning tissues of the mouth. As you noted, the current range of actual identified conditions seems to be limited, and so many people are suffering with a very wide range of symptoms, and yet so few resources seem to be going into learning more about conditions of the mouth. For me, the problem was a major sensitivity to walnuts and tomatoes. For others it could be a vitamin or mineral deficiency, for others it could be issues with over-active nerves, or perhaps it's a delicate balance of more than one of those. I can see why an accurate diagnosis would be difficult. Still, more needs to be done. My heart goes out to those who still suffer.
Probably this has been mentioned in other posts (I haven't read them all) but temporary relief can be had with a prescription mouth wash called, "Magic Mouthwash." I believe it's lidocaine. My physician prescribed it for me. It can help you eat a meal without going through torment. For me, it only numbs the pain for anywhere from 15 minutes to 1/2 hour. I do not swish my mouth with it, as the directions say, I use a q-tip and dab it on the worst areas, I don't go through so much of the medicine that way, and personally, I don't like my entire mouth feeling numb. If I am going out to dinner, I soak the ends of the q-tips in the Magic Mouthwash, I wrap some Saran Wrap around the ends and put them in my purse or pocket. Then after I order my meal, I head to the bathroom and apply the Magic Mouthwash in private, then I am able to join my friends and get through the meal and actually enjoy it.
My thoughts, also, are with everyone who must deal with this personal hell on a daily/nightly basis. Nobody can possible understand the misery and depression that accompany this horrible condition if they haven't experienced it themselves. Most people I know have never even heard of it. Stay strong, and keep searching until you find that which works for you... it will happen some day.
Beth
sandraelsie
6 July 2017
i have had some relief with a product called curasept implant, i buy it on the internet, it is not available on the NHS in England. it did not get rid of the problem but it did help to heal the lesions in my mouth. it is made for people who have had dental implants, it is similar to corsydol but it doesn't leave as bad a taste in the mouth and it is less likely to stain your teeth, [as though that matters ].it might only help a few people but i thought i would post this, i leave it in the mouth for about 5 mins.
BMSSufferer
1 July 2017
I have had BMS for over 8 years and was professionally diagnosed in 2014. The doctor prescribed gabapentin which I took for over 2 years but I had no relief from the symptoms so I no longer take it. I have also tried various other treatments that were recommended but nothing seemed to help until my dentist prescribed a night guard for clenching which I am sure was caused by the discomfort of the BMS. I discovered that while wearing the night guard the burning sensation was completely gone so I started wearing it during the day to see if it helped and it was absolutely amazing!! I was told by a friend that you could order mouth guards online and they cost much less than getting them from the dentist. I searched around and found a website that sold a day guard which is much smaller than a night guard and made of a clear material similar to Invisalign. It has been an absolute "cure" for me as long as I wear the guard.
I do remove it when eating and drinking anything besides water but other than that I wear it at all times. I highly recommend trying this solution and I hope it works as well for you as it has for me.
nomorewalnuts123
1 July 2017
Thank you for the info about the mouth guard! As a BMS sufferer myself, and having an 89 year old mother who has been suffering for years, I am going to order a mouth guard for her to see if it helps her. For me, I discovered that my burning mouth seems to have been caused by the small amount of black walnuts and tomatoes that I was putting on my daily salads. I was in anguish, like so many others have described, but when I quit eating those two things, my mouth returned to normal. I was amazed that such a small amount of walnuts and tomatoes could cause me so much misery. I am glad you found relief, and I will have my mom give your cure a try, as (much to my dismay) she was not overly willing to give up her walnuts and tomatoes!!
BMSSufferer
1 July 2017
I find that eating certain foods does aggravate the burning but even avoiding those foods did not make it go away. I hope the mouth guard works for your mom because it has been an absolute miracle for me.
Gwebb4225
17 Aug 2017
I am a 63 year old male diagnosed 8 years ago with BMS. I have discovered that the mouth guard works well. It is not practical in the day though so I kept looking for alternatives. I discovered that beta blockers for my blood pressure were aggravating the condition. I was able to get off of them with much exercise. By doing so the pain level went down from a 7 to a 3. Recently I discovered that 5htp drops the pain level within 30 minutes of taking it to a level 1 to 1.5. The pill lasts about 3 hours before symptoms begin to elevate. So I take it prn. I started the dosage at 50 mg and over time reduced it to 12.5 mg. When the dosage is too high it makes me foggy and sleepy. When I started being sleepy I dropped the dosage until I wasn't sleepy. So far this is the best remedy I have found.
sandraelsie
8 June 2017
Hi since my last post I have had some weeks where the condition has completely gone and other weeks where there has been a great improvement. One thing I have learnt is that when it does start to come back it has to be zapped immediately or it gets much worse. I still take tramadol low dosage , only one or two a day for 2/3days then one a day for about 5/6 days and it helps. then i stop. Otherwise I use oral clonazepam for swish and spit. I have seen a maxiofacial consultant and I have had an MRI scan of the brain, this is to rule out M.S. I am waiting for results. He did say you will have this for life and it's about controlling the pain. So will continue with the above medications, this is a terrible illness but thought I would post again to let people know I have had some relief even if it's not permanent cure.
KMTX
8 June 2017
I'm not sure if I can help. My burning is only my tongue, it feels like I burned it on food. I had trouble finding info on what it was and what to do. It doesn't happen often but I found the dose online and the Cayenne works. Maybe check with a health food store. Good Luck.
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