Introduction
Palate pain is a term used to describe various types of pain in the oral cavity. The palate is divided again into a front hard and a rear soft palate. The complaints can be caused by different causes, which are mostly harmless like burns caused by too hot food.
Causes
The most frequent and at the same time mostly harmless pain in the area of the palate is caused by eating. The reason for this is usually too hot food or even drinks. This can cause minor burns, which sometimes lead to the formation of small blisters.
The palate as well as the tongue are very sensitive and therefore unpleasant pain can quickly develop even with burns. Palate burns In addition, there may also be redness and swelling of the burnt mucosa in the mouth. In addition to the burning pain, the patient sometimes also feels a subsequent reduction in the sense of taste.
On the one hand, especially with acidic or salty foods, the food can irritate the burnt mucosa and cause new complaints. At the same time, the taste is perceived as reduced in the areas of the burned tongue. However, this is reduced as soon as the mucous membrane has recovered there.
In case of burns, cooling drinks help and in order to avoid further irritation of the injured areas, food that is too hot and acidic should be avoided for the next few days. Only in case of inflammation of the palate should the patient better consult a doctor. Another possibility that can cause an unpleasant feeling on the palate are also certain foods.
Preferably fruits, fruit acid and nuts can trigger an allergic reaction, especially on the mucous membrane of the oral cavity. This results in a scratchy feeling on the palate, which can also swell. In many cases, it helps to avoid the food that causes the allergy.
If the swelling of the oral cavity is very pronounced, the patient can take medication such as anti-allergics, which quickly relieve the symptoms. Edema of the mucous membranes becomes particularly dangerous if the patient is hindered in breathing. Various diseases and viral infections affecting the oral cavity can affect the palate.
A normal cold can be cured, but an inflammation of the throat, which is called pharyngitis in medical terminology, may have developed during the course of the cold, causing pain, difficulty swallowing and swelling. Pathogens such as influenza and adenoviruses are among the typical causes. During a cold, the body is generally weakened.
It is then no longer able to resist diseases and bacteria and the person can fall ill more easily. Herpes simplex viruses, for example, can also break out and cause certain infections. The viruses are carried unnoticed by many people in the body, especially in nerve cells in the face, and can be reactivated at the time of an immune deficiency and cause various diseases.
In the mouth, these viruses can cause an infection of the entire oral mucosa. This is called stomatitis. Typical of a herpes infection is a vesicular inflammation of the mucous membrane, which can be very painful and can spread to the palate.
Palatal pain in children is often associated with a viral or bacterial infection. In this case, various diseases that directly affect the oral cavity come into consideration. A severe infection of the palatal tonsils, also known as tonsillitis, can be caused by bacteria or viruses.
The palatine tonsils (tonsils) swell strongly and also hurt very much, especially when swallowing and eating. The children are flabby, not as active as usual and also eat significantly less. In some cases, purulent specks appear on the tonsils, which are particularly caused by an infection with streptococci.
This can also develop into a typical childhood disease called scarlet fever. If the palatal tonsils are inflamed, the mouth can generally be very irritated and reddened. The fact that the palatine tonsils are located near the palate can also radiate the pain up to there.
Inconspicuous tonsils can then sometimes be misinterpreted. A further typical childhood disease is the mouth rot, which is called Stomatitis aphtosa in the technical language under physicians also Stomatitis aphtosa.The inflammation is triggered by an initial infection with herpes simplex viruses. The symptoms are a reddened mucous membrane of the mouth and burning pain mostly in the entire oral cavity.
The palate is also affected. The children also have a fever and, due to the pain, are referred to food and drink. The mucous membrane may be covered with small blisters, which may also burst.
The mucosa also shows a whitish coating on the mucosa, which is the size of a pinhead. These are the aphthae, which are very typical for this infection. The lymph nodes in the jaw and neck area can be swollen and sensitive to pressure.
In rare cases, symptoms such as nausea and vomiting may also occur. It is not uncommon for the inflammation to cause bad breath, which has given the disease its name. Toothache can have many different causes, but the most common reason is caries.
Caries is particularly painful when it has already spread deep into the tooth and may have already attacked the root of the tooth. The pain can then spread to the entire jaw. Similarly, a more severe inflammation along the nerve can spread to other regions of the oral cavity.
As a result, the pain can also be felt in the hard and soft palate. In some cases, there may also be direct damage to a nerve in this area. This type of pain is called neuralgia and is often accompanied by sudden attacks of pain.
They are often so strong that they can radiate from the jaw to the palate and also to the ears. Furthermore, there may be an abscess on the palate, which can also originate from the teeth. With such complaints the palatal mucosa also swells strongly and hurts.
Since the palate is also very well supplied with blood, care must be taken when opening an abscess in this area because of an artery running through it. On the one hand stronger bleeding should be avoided, on the other hand bacteria from the abscess should not enter the bloodstream and cause inflammation in other parts of the body. A dentist is the right contact person for such diseases and appropriate treatment.