Symptoms

Symptoms of burning mouth syndrome may include:

• A burning or scalding sensation that most commonly affects your tongue, but may also affect your lips, gums, palate, throat or whole mouth
• A sensation of dry mouth with increased thirst
• Taste changes in your mouth, such as a bitter or metallic taste
• Loss of taste
• Tingling, stinging or numbness in your mouth

The discomfort from burning mouth syndrome typically has several different patterns. It may:

• Occur every day, with little discomfort when you wake, but become worse as the day progresses
• Start as soon as you wake up and last all day
• Come and go

Whatever pattern of mouth discomfort you have, burning mouth syndrome may last for months to years. In rare cases, symptoms may suddenly go away on their own or become less frequent. Some sensations may be temporarily relieved during eating or drinking.

Burning mouth syndrome usually doesn't cause any noticeable physical changes to your tongue or mouth.

When to see a doctor

If you have discomfort, burning or soreness of your tongue, lips, gums or other areas of your mouth, see your doctor or dentist. They may need to work together to help pinpoint a cause and develop an effective treatment plan.