Introduction
Mouth burning is a common symptom, which can be caused by various reasons. A tickling and burning sensation of the mouth mucosa is typical, mostly cheeks or tongue are affected. Behind the burning sensation can be harmless causes, but also serious diseases. If it occurs frequently, a doctor should be consulted. The treatment options depend on the cause.
Causes of burning in the mouth
There are many different diseases or causes that can cause mouth burning. Because it is often a bit confusing here, we will try to make a small classification – without claiming to be complete:
- Underlying disease: Mouth burning caused by an underlying disease: Local fungal diseases, an inflammation of the tongue or cheek mucous membranes, but also serious diseases can be the cause. These diseases include: diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, scleroderma and the lichen.
Allergies are also among them. – Wisdom tooth surgery
- Dental prostheses: Incorrectly seated dentures or incompatible material belong to this group. The wrong bite can irritate the mucous membrane and cause a burning sensation.
The same applies if two different types of metal are present in the mouth next to each other. For example the base amalgam and the precious gold. Under certain circumstances, a current can flow there and cause a burning sensation.
- Through external influences: A wrong or too sharp toothpaste or even a lipstick with chemical additives can cause the burning. – Medication: Taking various medicines can also cause a burning sensation in the mouth. Antidepressants, antibiotics or some antihypertensive drugs are to be mentioned here.
Disinfectant mouth rinses, which must be used for several weeks, can also be a reason. – Vitamin deficiency: Here, vitamin B12, folic acid and iron deficiency should be considered. If these are missing, this can have far-reaching consequences for the body.
- Smoking
- Fungal diseases
- Allergic reaction
- After the consumption of dairy products
- Psychosomatic
One of the most common causes of mouth burning is a new tooth replacement. The new tooth replacement can irritate the mucous membrane through various factors and then lead to a burning sensation. A typical problem is that the new denture does not fit properly.
It presses on a spot which is then increasingly mechanically irritated. After a short time, a burning sensation can develop, which is locally limited, but sometimes radiates further. Another well-known situation in which mouth burning can be caused is when a new crown or bridge has been fitted.
It can then happen that the new denture has direct contact with an old filling or crown. If the two restorations are not made of the same metal, this can cause a chemical reaction to take place and a current to flow in the mouth. Then the person affected feels a metallic taste, which is sometimes accompanied by a burning sensation.
A burning sensation after wisdom tooth surgery can basically have only two main causes. One is the effect of the anaesthetic injected into the oral mucus before the tooth is removed or the fact that a nerve has been injured. The former is not unnatural and is usually a circumstance that disappears after a few hours.
The sensitive nerve fibres of the oral cavity and teeth are rendered insensitive with an anaesthetic. If the effect of the anaesthetic begins to wear off, this can lead to discomfort, which can also manifest itself as a burning sensation in the mouth. However, if the anaesthesia has not been carried out correctly, so that the syringe tip has injured a nerve, permanent discomfort may occur.
The nerve is additionally stressed by the swelling after tooth extraction, so that it reports increased sensations that one would not register under normal circumstances. Antibiotics are drugs that kill bacteria so that the body can cope with an infection more easily or so that an infection cannot develop in the first place. However, these drugs make no difference between “good” and “bad” bacteria.
Good” bacteria are micro-organisms that live in the body and do a job for it. “Bad” bacteria are pathogens. If all bacteria are killed by the administration of the antibiotic, the natural oral flora is also changed.
In this situation, fungi that are normally kept in check by the bacteria can sometimes spread. In the oral cavity a so-called Candida albicans infection, colloquially also called oral thrush, then develops. It shows itself by a whitish wipeable coating on the tongue and mucous membranes.
The dentist takes a smear and examines it microscopically. Then an anti-fungal medication is prescribed and the disease heals within a few days. Vaginal and intestinal mycosis are also known side effects after antibiotic administration.
They develop in a similar way to the fungal disease in the mouth area. Fungal diseases of the oral cavity are not an absolute rarity and are the first suspected diagnosis when a patient reports “burning in the mouth”. In technical terminology, a fungal infection of the mouth and throat area is called oral thrush.
A fungal infection can typically establish itself where it finds a weakened immune system or a weakened skin flora. More typically, fungal infections occur when an antibiotic has also destroyed the body’s own bacterial flora or there is a general immunodeficiency in the affected person. Typical examples would be AIDS patients or persons with a form of leukaemia.
Allergies can manifest themselves after different times and in different intensities. The worst form of allergy to be assumed is anaphylactic shock, which can even become life-threatening. But even in a milder form, an allergic reaction can be accompanied by a so-called mucous membrane edema.
This rapid accumulation of water in the tissue – because this is an oedema – causes the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat area to swell so much that the person affected is in danger of suffocation. The water retention in the oral mucosa can – similar to the decreasing anaesthesia of wisdom tooth surgery – lead to sensations that can be burning, painful or numb. Depending on what the affected person is allergic to, a rash may also develop at the site that has come into contact with the triggering substance.
If this was the mucous membrane of the mouth, an itchy rash can also present itself as a burning sensation in the mouth. Toxic substances such as nicotine, which are ingested when smoking cigarettes, can cause unpleasant sensations in the mouth and diseases of the mucous membrane. Increased keratinization of the mucous membrane and/or lip skin, which is caused by chronic irritation, can lead to so-called leukoplakia, which is accompanied by bright spots on the mucous membrane.
This inflammation can then lead to a burning sensation. In the worst case, this area can change more and more, and in rare cases precancerous lesions can develop. The consumption of cigarettes is one of the most important causes of cancer of the oral cavity, tongue and oesophagus.
This is due to the direct contact of the stimulants with the mucous membrane of the mouth, throat and tongue. A burning sensation in the mouth, or frequently also in the tongue, after the consumption of dairy products is a phenomenon that occurs in some people who suffer from a so-called lactose intolerance, i.e. who are not able to break down the milk sugar in the intestine in such a way that it can be absorbed by the human body. This circumstance is often associated with a lack of other nutrients.
This vitamin deficiency can then, as described above, cause cracked corners of the mouth as well as a burning sensation in the mucous membrane of the mouth or tongue. To make the term psychosomatics briefly understandable again at this point: It is a fundamental psychological problem, which however manifests itself in physical symptoms. However, it is not possible to say in general terms that a burning sensation in the mouth is an indication of a specific mental illness.
It can be an expression of anything. For the treating physician, the art is now to uncover the psychological cause and not to be guided only by the physical symptoms. However, this is usually only possible with the help of the patient.
He can often establish a decisive temporal connection between the beginning of the illness and a stressful experience that can be the trigger for the burning. The therapy changes accordingly. With psychomatic complaints, psychotherapy is necessary in most cases, in which the experiences can be processed and a structured treatment concept is developed.
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