Very strange symptom - Burning Mouth and Tongue

[constantworrier]

Hi All,

A few months ago, I was diagnosed by my dentist as having Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) and / or TMJ Disorder causing referred burning. I wasn't totally convinced since this is more common in women than men (I am male). My dentist suggested I have blood tests to rule out vitamin deficiencies and diabetes - both of which can cause similar symptoms. I had the tests and everything came back clear. At first, the burning was located on the right hand side of my mouth near my lower wisdom tooth.
I changed my brand of toothpaste to a whitening brand a few weeks ago and I believe I had an allergic reaction since my tongue became red, my inner lips began to peel and I experienced burning in my whole mouth after using.
I quickly changed toothpaste again and while the burning reduced, I have now been left with intermittent burning and a swollen feeling on the left hand side of my tongue (the original burning on the right hand side has gone.)
I notice that when I first wake up, the symptoms are much reduced and tend to build during the day. The best way to describe the sensation is like I have burned my tongue on hot food.
My tongue feels very tense - on the left side more than the right. I am worried that this may be something more sinister. When I stick my tongue right out, the back left of my tongue seems to sit higher than the right. (Does anyone else have a lopsided tongue)? There are no lumps, discoloration or other abnormalities in my mouth and I have very regular dental checks - every 3 months or so (At my request) and my dentist has reassured me countless times there is no evidence of oral cancer but the worry still persists.
Can stress and anxiety really cause mouth burning? Can it cause tongue tension /spasm on one side and a feeling that your tongue is swollen or too big for your mouth? I regularly bite my tongue when eating / talking... I am worried that this is because my tongue is enlarging due to a tumour and is now catching on my teeth! I'm also scared that my tongue seems to sit higher on the left because there is a tumour right at the back of my mouth which is out of view of the dentist!
Has anybody else experienced anything similar?

Thankyou so much for reading.

[Rennie1989]

I cannot say that I have ever heard of that condition before. I would visit your dentist or GP and ask for more information on the condition, but if you're having problems with your tongue because of the tumour then see the dentist and tell them. Just because it's out of view of the dentist does not mean that he can't see it at all.

[ARandomSparkle]

This isn't something I have heard of before, but I do know anxiety can show itself in the strangest of ways in our body - in your case, sounds like your having mouth issues.

I have this weird thing with my legs - I think I walk funny. When I am walking, I notice it more and walk funnier. I convinced myself I had some sort of deadly leg condition - turns out its just me worrying.

I have checked (I'm sure if you saw, it would have provided a giggle or two!), my tongue sits higher at the back on the right side. Remember, tongues are muscles and they are twitchy, and wriggly and very hard to keep still. You probably don't have a tumour, but if it really is causing you worry then speak again with your GP, get some peace of mind. Does sound like you had a reaction to your new toothpaste, but everything else (in my non medical humble opinion) sounds like anxiety. If it makes you feel any better, I am ALWAYS accidently chomping on my tongue! Have you tried any sort of oral medication? You can get stuff which numbs your mouth, so that might help take your mind of it, which in turn might sort the issue out - if it is anxiety related.
Whatever you do - don't Google it! Google + symptoms + Anxiety = NIGHTMARE!
Peace and love to you

[constantworrier]

Thankyou Rennie1989 and ARandomSparkle for your kind replies.
I have actually found the courage today to go and visit my dentist again. He did a thorough examination and confirmed that my symptoms are purely down to tension and anxiety. He assured me that he sees hundreds of mouths every year and is well trained to spot mouth cancer and other diseases. He also assured me that there is nothing physically wrong with me to explain my symptoms and heightened anxiety alone is more than capable of producing bizarre sensations.
My tongue sits higher on one side than the other because we humans aren't made perfectly symmetrically and may always gave been like this but until recently gone unnoticed.
Interestingly within 30 minutes of leaving the dentist my symptoms vanished completely for a couple of hours, returned on the opposite side of my mouth and tongue for about half an hour, then swapped sides again and returned to the left hand side!! It's almost like my brain was frantically trying to re-establish a ficus for the anxiety?!
The sensations are now much reduced though... Perhaps 2/10 versus the previous 7/10. Even I have to try and accept that there must be a psychological element at play here. Tumours or other pathologies don't jump around and their symptoms surely don't come and go ?
I hope that I can give some comfort to anyone with similar mouth symptoms that there can be (and usually is) a benign cause (anxiety). Whilst your body can terrify you with its sensations, no matter how odd they are, my experience, though obscure, seems to be yet another example of how anxiety can make you feel.
Best wishes and sincere hopes for peace from the torture of anxiety to you all.
CW. X

[nightcat]

My tongue has been bothering me for three months now, and it's really got me so down :weep:

I'm getting a papilloma/wart removed on sat which has been giving me a constant feeling of food stuck on my tongue since it appeared. Since I've discovered my wart I've been examining my mouth 10+ times everyday and I always notice something new and assume it's that contributing to me having a constant feeling on the left side of my mouth. My tongue around the edges also are bumpy (like I have teeth marks) and the left side burns sometimes. It's really making my life extremely unhappy and I just don't want to live like this for much longer :( .

Glad you found a solution to your problem though :hugs: