I had Burning Mouth Syndrome after a dental procedure. I had many painful fissures and a one inch circular dark red sore on my tongue. There was a water blister the size of a dime in the middle of this circle. There is a great lack of understanding concerning this illness. I was seen at one of the nation's top medical centers and there was no understanding. I was told to put aloe on my tongue and return in four months. I have done much research on this condition. My research often led me to dental procedures and dental materials. I lost my sense of taste,endured constant pain and burning and was very sick for almost two years. I found answers. I am a writer and would love to hear your story. I intend to write on this condition. Contact Sylvia Lawing through Facebook or Linkedin. Thank you
Anyone had dental procedure prior to onset of Burning Mouth Syndrome?
Question posted by Sylvia Lawing on 5 May 2017
Last updated on 27 July 2022 by Walshmich123
25 Answers
Hello good morning I hope your well I have had fillings done in mouth Two amalgam and two composite fillings. Since having them done in get a nasty burning taste in my throat and mouth and when I eat,drink and brush my teeth it gets worse. I have lost 6 stone in 3 months due to having the fillings put in. Sorry for long post.
I was prescribed 2 benadryl at night to sleep. About 6 months I noticed me were turning gray. I went to the dentist and was told it was probably medication. They said it was a stain. I tried everything to clean the "stain." I went back when nothing was working. Then the dentist said it was a stain from the inside. You file or clean it off. Again saying it qas med related but I had nothing new prescribed. I didn't think of the other med. When I came home this time I looked up what darkens your teeth. Number 1 was benadryl. I stopped taking it but as yet no change. 5 teeth on the left front are horribly ruined. Gray and disgusting looking. And I have all my teeth and they were in good condition with very few cavities. Now they are permanently ruined. I don't smile anymore because of this. I looked and there is nothing mentioned about this on the label. Yet my teeth are permanently ruined.
I had a dental bridge done three years ago in February and my mouth has not been right since, my dentist said it was nothing to do with my dental work.
I went to the doctor they tried everything for me I also tried everything myself to no avail, the doctor then referred me to local hospital who said they did not think I had dry mouth syndrome I had BMS, they referred me to a Dental Hospital Who did tests and the outcome was I had Oral Dyseasthesia ( BMS) caused by the placement of the dental bridge. They said there is no cure and advise me to go on a low dose of antidepressants which I don’t think is the way forward .
The dentist said in the end it’s unfortunate and said go on anti depressants too !
I am still trying various things but nothing yet has worked, it’s a daily problem !
Since having a dental bridge done my quality of life has gone down my mouth is effected with whatever I eat or drink or even if I don’t do either, as other people say it get worse as the day goes on, the only respite you have is when you’re asleep and it starts all over again when you wake! I don’t seem to enjoy food or drink the same with this condition some foods and drinks I used to enjoy make it worse !
I have written down a few ideas off this website as it is very helpful, I will try anything to get rid of this daily nightmare !
The Dental Hospital said it might go away on its own if I’m lucky, I just wish Dentists would own up to it or tell you this can happen after dental work and give you the chance to not have the treatment or take another option.
Hi Sylvia,
I am a 71 year old male suffering from BMS for the past 5 years. I was diagnosed by an oral surgeon who is also involved with international research on BMS. He indicated it was the result of brain elasticity. My burning began within a day or so after undergoing an endoscopic procedure. I underwent an extensive period of testing for gastrointestinal issues
followed by having a couple heart stents inserted. After all that I tried everything from changing toothpaste to antidepressants to
undergoing Ketamine infusion to medical marijuana without any success. I apply orajel to my tongue for minimum relief to taking a cepacol cough drop prior to sleep. I have not found 1 doctor
in the Cleveland, Ohio medical mecca willing to address my case.
Pretty sad statement for our medical environment.
Try the clonazepam mouth rinse. It really subsided my discomfort. Didn’t cure it just made it tolerable.
I too have burning on top of tongue right side after alot of dental work. I just chew gum every day
Hi Tony,
I am a 68-year-old female suffering from BMS. I recently went to Johns Hopkins for numerous tests, mainly for Sjogren's syndrome. After 2 days of tests including a lip biopsy, I do not have Sjogren's syndrome, I have BMS. I take cevimeline to increase saliva, use oral gel, chew sugarless bubble gum, take antidepressant sertraline and some days are better than others. Mine started with tooth extraction and having a dental implant done. I agree with you and am surprised there isn't one medical professional who can actually cure this.
I had no dental work done. I did have Shingles and this started shortly after the healing. My best relief came from a Clonzepan oral rinse. My pharmacist in relationship with my Primary Care doctor came up with that. It didn’t cure but it eased it. Also it didn’t burn when I rinsed like Nystatin or dexamethasone did when I rinsed with those. Also the magic mouth wash only numbed it it didn’t make anything better. If you find something else let us know. But my best was the clonazepam rinse. However not covered by any insurance it cost $50.00 a week. Not cheap.
Hi Sylvia. I had no dental treatment, no procedures whatsoever. Unfortunately, mine started out of the blue and it was powerful, it took me a long time to cope and, dare I say this, I now have it under control, but it is still around. I take amitriptyline. To begin with 5 x 10mg a day, two morning, one day time and two evening. It worked, for me anyway. Now I take 2 at night, it seems to get more powerful late afternoon/evening. I could not live with it again, if it came back. There are many suggestions out there of why BMS occurs but no one knows for sure, and there is no real help or answer. Best wishes June
My BMS started in 2012, after receiving a metal crown. I received no help from my MD or DDS. Gabapentin, antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs offered no relief. I suffered as silently as I was able. I tried all of the recommended home remedies to no avail. I spent my days sucking on ice chips. About a month ago, I saw that a fellow sufferer found relief after taking an antihistamine. I took 50mgs of Benadryl and found that my BMS pain was lessened by 90%! Antihistamines ONLY help allergies. Gabapentin, antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs DO NOT relieve allergies. I knew that my BMS was due to an allergy. I finally had something on which to go! I immediately contacted a dermatologist and am currently being tested for allergies. Even if the offending allergen is never found, I can take a daily, non-drowsy antihistamine and find the much needed relief, from the severe burning pain that has tormented me these past 12 years.
If you have not tried taking an antihistamine, please try taking one. If your BMS symptoms improve, contact your doctor and request allergy testing, especially for the common metals used in dentistry. Unfortunately, you will have to discontinue the antihistamines before and during the allergy testing, but like me, knowing your BMS is allergy related and can be treated with an OTC antihistamine, will ease the pain in your mouth and the distress in your mind.
Yes! Six years ago I had a root canal, then they still couldn't save the tooth so they cut off my bridge and extracted the tooth. For a year I blamed the pain on my tongue rubbing on the edge of my tooth where two were missing. Then I got a new bridge and the pain continued. Usually for several days once or twice a month. Over the next 3 years it got more frequent and intense. Somewhere along the way I discovered chewing gum stopped the pain. No physical sign of any irritation on my tongue. My Dentist saw no problem. My Doctor started me on Gabapentin and referred me to an ENT who did a biopsy (excruciating) and found nothing. I have been seeing a neurologist for a little over a year now and have tried many different medications.
I am now on Gralise a time release Gabapentin that was working pretty well until I had to have my bridge removed again! Gum still helps and my newest discovery is miracle berries! Acidic foods, wine and bitter like coffee can trigger an episode and these berries turn bitter or sour to sweet. Sometimes only works for 20-30 minutes, sometimes stops completely. So glad to hear so many others can associate the start of their pain to dental work. I felt so alone.
In December of 2018, I had a tooth extracted by a Periodontist. Within a month, I noticed my tongue constantly circling over my front teeth. This condition became worse when the Periodontist was working on building up the bone for a dental implant. It's almost 2 years later, I did not have the crown put on the dental implant yet. I've seen my pcp, oral surgeon, neurologist, and a dermatologist who seemed to understand this condition moreso than the other physicians. I'm scared to even see a dentist since this happened.
Hi Mypurrogative, yes i had a tooth pulled and about 2 weeks after the tingling started on my tongue. Had 4 more teeth worked on and that took about 3 months and after that I was in terrible burning pain on my tongue. I still have it the only thing that helps is chewing gum. This is a horrible thing to happen to anyone.
I had no dental procedure prior to developing BMS. The only thing that makes sense to me is hormonal changes. I have had it for over 20 years and have no expectation of it going away. I have tried many, not all, remedies. I mostly have it under control in that it does not take over my life, but is wearing on me psychologically and physically. It gets worse with stress but is not caused by stress. I take a very low dose of Klonopin 2x a day along with lipoic acid (not sure if that helps or not but did seem to make a difference many years ago. Right now with COVID I seem to have a baseline of low burning. Vodka and a full meal helps temporarily.
A Dental procedure kicked mine off!
Hi
My symptoms started two weeks after the root canal. Burning on the roof of my mouth and tongue. Its been 4 months or so..
The only this that helps is eating or chewing gum. So tired of this; this has taken my happiness away.
I went back to the dentist and had the post and the filling materials removed yesterday. The burning is still there.. hope that it goes away .. just wondering if I was allergic to any of the materials used.
Did anyone try antihistamines? Just wondering of it would help
I developed BMS in May after having 3 crowns put on and 1 filling. My symptoms started as dry mouth and then turned into burning sensation on tongue, roof of mouth, and gums, sour taste in mouth, tingling lips and cheek (all on the side of the dental work). I've been to two different dentists and they say it can't be an allergy and that it's probably my stress that's causing me to grind and clench in my sleep and that's putting pressure on a nerve. But I wasn't anxious before the procedures. My anxiety started with the BMS because I didn't know what was happening.
Hi sandra same here, its been a year
Same here dental work and then the burning started only on the side of dental work! It's been a year and a long one. Tongue very dry and rough only on that side. Very depressed now, and i was a happy person.
Has anyone's symptoms gotten better with time? Once the nerves begin to heal.
@Burning mouth, what kind of dental work did you have done? I had 3 crowns and a filling. I'm thinking it's either an allergy to a material or nerve damage from one of the numbing shots.
Hi sandra, i had 3 fillings 1 cap replaced and when they replaced the cap they kept taking it off like 4 times before i got the permanent one
Hi Sandra I had 3 fillings 1 cap taken off like 4 times and 1 tooth pulled all on the same side, shortly after the burning started, it's been a year the only thing that helps is sugarless bubblegum and eating. The burning on top of mouth and my lips tingling has gotten better the burning isn't as bad as it was in the beginning but it is still there.
My burning mouth syndrome started as I left the dentist office following dental whitening which was a procedure I did not choose but was included following invislign I had for 9 months to straighten my teeth as I had trouble cleaning them. The invisilign was not a painful of difficult procedure. However as I left the dentist office I mentioned burning. The indicated it was normal and might last for 2 days to 2 weeks and that I should use toothpaste for sensitive teeth. This did not help at ALL and then they implied it was due to stress or anxiety and not due to anything from the dental whitening. No regular ibuprofen or aspirins help AT ALL>
It has been 4.5 years now and I am still trying everything possible. I have spent thousands of dollars with promised from naturopaths, chiropractors, chinese acupuncture , meditation clinics at Mt Sinai, regular yoga which helps but only temporally following the session. I have tried all the gabapentins, pregabapentins, tryptalenes.. clonazepam seems to help me at least get to sleep. The only real release from pain is after a bottle of wine.
I am currently having acupuncture with a chiropractor and some kind of electrode treatment with another which I think are slowly decreasing the pain. I have tried a cleansing diet with no dairy, red meat, wine, fruit, and this seemed to help. Maybe it reduces inflammation. I think my nerves and or dental pulp were damaged during the whitening but the dentist will not admit this.
I am mostly becoming a recluse because talking hurts, walking hurts and moving...
Since I cannot eat a lot of food including spicey, garlic, cheddar, marinades, lemon, vinegar, dressings I am not much fun to go out with.
So I hope time will help heal and I plan to continue the very restricted diet and yoga and hope it will eventually leave.
My heart goes out to all of you, having to experience this horrific pain, yet no one to actually cure it. After I have been to the dentist, periodontist, oral surgeon, and neurologist, I now see a dermatologist and I'm hoping to get an appointment with Dept. of Dermatology at the Mayo Clinic. Everything takes time, and I think about how really urgent this is for me, and after reading most of your stories, this condition has to be addressed, somewhere, somehow.
Thank you so much for doing research on BMS. It's a horribly painful condition and began for me about 2 or 3 months after having 6 teeth extracted and a permanent bridge put in about 11 years ago. It was elective cosmetic surgery. After a couple of weeks of pain, I went to my dentist and explained my problem. The burning only affects the bridge area and I have several other crowns which are not a problem. The bridge is in the top front of my mouth. It also affects the bottom teeth where I had Veneers put on. My tongue will burn and get irritated on the area where it touches this bridge and my gums at the bottom of the veneers, and I get what some call geographic tongue, with cracks along the middle of my tongue. My Dentist still says it is not related to the materials in the bridge, but I KNOW it is. I'm also allergic to nickel, so I paid extra for porcelain on gold instead of dental metal.
I wanted to share what I have found to help somewhat. First, I have only attacks of BMS lasting from a few days to a few weeks or even longer. It usually happens in Spring and Fall when my other allergies are at their peak. I find that when I have BMS, it helps to brush 4 or 5 times a day with Arm and Hammer Peroxicare toothpaste. I also sometimes use Magic Mouthwash only at night before bed. It helps ease the pain so I can get to sleep, but I also take a prescription drug to help me sleep. I've tried gabapentin but I believe it helped cause my last attack and I stopped taking it. I was already taking duloxetine (brand name Cymbalta) for Multiple Sclerosis pain. It was recommended on this site not to mix the two. I floss heavily every night which also helps. Usually, I take two fluconazole, 1 a day for two days, of the 150 mg tablets and that will usually take care of it, which makes me wonder if candida (thrush) is also involved.
This is getting way too long so let me know if I can clarify any information above. I will also share other health conditions and medications with you.
Related topics
allergic reactions, oral and dental conditions, burning mouth syndrome, blister, burning, mouth, tongue, syndrome, burning mouth, sores
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