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tongue pain

 
Dr-B2's Avatar
  • Answered by:Dr-B2
  • Dentist (DDS or equivalent)
  • Positive Feedback: 100.0 %
  • Accepted Answers: 10
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in Dental

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Advice that dealt with my specific concern and gave me the reassurance I needed.

Customer Question

hi In the last 3 months i have had 3 teeth extractions, a root canal and deep cleaning. all of a sudden two weeks ago my tongue started to get this burning tingling feeling and now today it doesnt burn as much but feels very heavy. also the roof of my mouth feels a little rough. oh i have also been thruough 4 different antibiotics. oh and pcp says tongue looks normal.

 

Optional Information:
Person's Gender: Female
Person's Age: 25

Submitted: 342 days and 14 hours ago.
Category: Dental
Value: $15
Status: CLOSED

Accepted Answer

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Expert:  Dr-B2 replied 342 days and 13 hours ago.


Dr-B2 :

Hi Customer, Welcome to Just Answer! It looks like you've had quite the experience at the dental office lately to say the least. Let's see if I can help you. For starters I would like to get some more information from you before I can fully help you. First, when were the extractions performed? Second, have you ever noticed if your tongue has lines that are yellow/white/red in color and change from day to day? Third, were any of the extractions or the root canal performed on the top of your mouth in the area where the roof of your mouth feels rough?

Customer :

I had one extraction done in jan, one in feb and one in march. The root canal was done on the upper left side. both sides feel a little rough though. I havent seen any yellow/white/red lines.

Customer :

oh and i also finished using peridex in march

Customer :

sorry and one extraction was done right next to the root canal, and another was done on the same side but on the bottam

Customer :

also like to add that it does not bother me when i eat or drink, it actually gives me some bit of relief for awhile.

Dr-B2 :

Ok thank you for the speedy reply. The burning in the tongue could come from a number of things. Starting off with the simple questions first. Have you recently started using any type of gum, toothpaste, anything else that is cinnamon flavored? Was the burning on one side (aka the side you had the tooth extracted) or on both sides? Did you notice the burning and the roughness within a few days of having all of this dental work completed?

Customer :

i think the burning might have started maybe a couple of weeks after root canal was done. the temp cap that was on it kept rubbing the side of my tongue and made it burn. then i got the crown put on and the pain on that side went away and the back of the tongue started to get the burning feeling. now the whole tongue feels weird. it will burn then stop, then i will have what feels like twinges? i havent used anything cinnamon.

Dr-B2 :

hmm very interesting. My suspicions were that there may be a part of the restoration on the tooth with the root canal that is irritating your tongue. However, that seems to not be the case. Right now I am leaning towards a change in you diet that could be causing this problem. Sometime when we eat something hard such as a potato chip, for example, we can lacerate the roof of our mouths and cause a rough feeling that is associated with some discomfort.

Dr-B2 :

when was the last time you went back to the dentist that performed all of your dental work?

Dr-B2 :

can you see if the spots on your tongue and the roof of your mouth have any color change to them?

Customer :

i think everything is normal. my pcp also said eveything looks normal. he is testing me for b12

Customer :

saw my dentist 2 weeks ago when he put the crown on

Dr-B2 :

that is also a possible complication, vitamin deficiency.

Dr-B2 :

does any other part of your mouth burn sometimes?

Customer :

no just the tongue. im a bit worried or oral cancer

Dr-B2 :

I would try performing salt water rinses (a teaspoon/tablespoon of salt mixed with a cup of luke warm water) 3 times a day for 1 week to see if the roughness goes away.

Dr-B2 :

has your tongue changed in appearance in anyway? I.e. is it very smooth now, very wrinkled, or does it have horizontal white lines that go along the side of the tongue? Also, you may want to see if your cheeks have these same white lines.

Dr-B2 :

what were you taking the antibiotics for?

Customer :

My tongue does feel pretty smooth, not sure if it has always been like that or not. it is sometimes white on the sides. no white lines on the cheek. i was on arythomycin first for first tooth extraction. then zithromax for another tooth infection.Then i took augmentin for sinus infection. Hygenist had me take something for the bacteria in my mouth it started with an"M" and also took the yeast infection pill.

Customer :

right now im chewing gum and tongue does not hurt at all

Customer :

and roof of mouth is kind of moist right now and does not feel rough

Dr-B2 :

what could possibly be going on is that you are biting or chewing your tongue throughout the night while sleeping. This is a common occurrence that can cause the tongue to be sore and burn somewhat the next day. (I personally have fallen victim to this and had the same concerns you are having now).

Customer :

Well i know i use to clench my teeth really bad, and i tend to feel the roof of my mouth constantly with my tongue

Dr-B2 :

The worse case scenario at this point would be a cause of burning tongue syndrome. This is a sensation that comes and goes and shows up randomly on different areas of the oral cavity. Sometimes the tongue can appear extra smooth during this time.

Customer :

Do you have any suggestions on what I should do? My lips have beenvery chapped lately as well

Dr-B2 :

I would continue to watch it and monitor it closely (color changes, appearance changes, feeling/sensations) for the next week and start the salt water rinses. If nothing has changed in a week I would call your dentist and schedule a visit and have him evaluate your mouth along with the way the new crown is biting with your other teeth.

Dr-B2 :

I would just use simple chap stick for the chapped lips. They are most likely unrelated to the sensations you are feeling in your oral cavity at this time.

Dr-B2 :

Without seeing pictures of your tongue and having a more complete medical history to aid me it is very difficult to make a definitive diagnosis.

Customer :

can i upload a photo of my tongue?

Dr-B2 :

possibly. I'm not sure if you can on here or not.

Customer :

there is a button for it. I will try

Dr-B2 :

I would also start taking a daily multivitamin to help with any possible vitamin deficiencies.

Dr-B2 :

ok

Customer :



Full Size Image

Dr-B2 :

Just looked up some info on it and other possible causes could be Diabetes mellitus, Chronic gastric/regurgitation, hypothyroidism, and possible estrogen deficiency to name a few. Some of the far reach ones could would be AIDS, or Parkinson's disease. I would eliminate all of the other possible systemic factors before I began to even think about the latter two possibilities.

Dr-B2 :

the picture of your tongue looks fairly normal.

Dr-B2 :

Well I will return. I have to leave for a moment.

Customer :

okay thank you! i see my desntist this saturday and should have bloodwork back next week. you have been very helpful!!

Customer :

I cant accept your answer until you reply =)

Dr-B2 :

Great to hear. thank you for your willingness to correspond quickly and effectively. I'm sure everything will turn out great. Please send me a PM and let me know the final outcome.

Dr-B2 :

If you are satisfied with the answer please click the "accept" button and please don't forget to leave "Positive" feedback. Thank you.

Customer :

It won't let me accept!

Expert TypeDentist (DDS or equivalent)
Category: Dental
Pos. Feedback: 100.0 %
Accepts: 10
Answered: 5/3/2012

Experience: Dental expert with emphasis on prosthodontics, restorative, and general dentistry

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Customer replied 341 days and 6 hours ago.

Think i found the problem. I've been using crest gum protection for the past month or so. I decided to google it. I found many complaints from consumers with the same or worse symptoms. I stopped using the toothpaste and already felt better!!

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Expert:  Dr-B2 replied 340 days and 9 hours ago.

Great to hear!!! It is amazing how something so small can cause so much problems isn't it? Thank you for letting me know and i'll be here to help.

 
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