lips

Burning Mouth & Pepto Lips – Episode 107

 in Podcasts  tagged bismuth / burning / chemistry / lips / mouth / Pepto-Bismol / syndrome / tongue / upset stomach by

An image of black lips, partially open to show some of the top and bottom teeth. Maybe the person has a burning mouth, or just had too much Pepto!

 

Burning Mouth Syndrome

Burning Mouth Syndrome is defined as a burning sensation with no underlying cause.  It may include dry mouth sensations with no true symptoms of dry mouth.  BMS is accompanied by unremitting burning or pain but no mucosal changes or signs of injury or swelling.

3 Categories

  • Increases throughout the day after waking
  • Stays the same morning, during the day, and at night
  • Has no pattern

Common Symptoms

  • Bilateral pain of the tongue
  • Chronic pain labeled as moderate to severe, or a 6-10 on the pain scale.
  • Worsened by talking, stress, fatigue, or hot, spicy, or acidic foods.

Subjective Descriptions

  • Dry mouth
  • Change in ability to taste
  • Accompanied by a headache
  • Decreased appetite
  • Improved by cold foods or drinks

Those who suffer from BMS may see temporary relief with topical analgesics (i.e. lidocaine or benzocaine) but see no improvement from systemic medications.  Fifty percent of the cases have no apparent cause but do have some correlation with depression.  This is a case of “the chicken or the egg”.  Are people with depression more likely to have symptoms of BMS?  Or are people with BMS more likely to become depressed?

Before someone can be said to have Burning Mouth Syndrome, many other issues must be ruled out.

  • Deficiencies (iron, folate, B vitamins, zinc)
  • Dry mouth
  • Nerve damage
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • Nocturnal habits (clenching, grinding, tongue-thrusting)
  • Infection (thrush, herpes, HIV)
  • A hiatal hernia (GERD)
  • Medications (ACE inhibitors, anticholinergics)
  • Myeloma (a blood cancer involving plasma cells)

Pepto Lips

Pepto-Bismol, aka Bismuth subsalicylate, has been used for decades for a variety of stomach complaints.

Bismuth is a good binder of toxins, in a similar way that carbon is in activated charcoal.  And yes, bismuth is one of those elements on the periodic table.  Subsacylate activates into salicylic acid (related to aspirin) and works to decrease inflammation of the gastric lining.

When bismuth binds with sulfur that is naturally in your saliva, it becomes bismuth sulfide, which has a black color and can stain your tongues and lips temporarily.  Pepto overuse is the obvious cause of black lips.

Connect with me

Support us on Patreon

Give us your Feedback

Join the Pharmacist Answers Podcast Community on Facebook

Subscribe: iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, TuneIn Radio

Like the Facebook page

Music Credits: Up In My Jam (All Of A Sudden) by – Kubbi https://soundcloud.com/kubbiCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/tDexBj46oNI

Mouth Issues – Episode 102

 in Podcasts  tagged bumps / cancer / cleft palate / cracking / episode / fungus / infection / issues / lips / mouth / probiotics / thrush / ulcers / yeast by

open mouth

Mouth Issues

Ulcers

They are uncomfortable and mostly non-serious.  Also known as “canker sores”.  Can take 2-3 weeks to completely heal.  Anything lasting over 3 weeks should be checked out by your doctor or dentist.  Ulcers can appear on the inside of the cheeks or lips, the roof of the mouth, or the tongue.  A minor ulcer versus a major ulcer is determined by the size of the sore and the layers of skin affected.  Any ulcer that is bleeding should be checked out despite the length of time.  The edges are red while the center can be yellow, white, or grey.  And they are PAINFUL!!

Ulcers can be caused by acidic or spicy foods, braces, stress, hormones, and some medications (such as beta-blockers for blood pressure or NSAIDs).  Nutritional deficiencies can increase your risk of ulcers.  Malabsorption due to conditions like celiac or deficiencies in B-vitamins and iron are the most common culprits.  Also, decreased immunity can make the skin inside the mouth more prone to ulcer recurrence.

Thrush

This is a yeast infection the mouth caused by the overgrowth of Candida, known as oral candidiasis.  It appears as white patches on the inside of the cheeks, tongue, or roof of the mouth, and the spots cannot be scraped off.  Candida is normal in the body and is kept in balance by the rest of the body’s normal flora.  Overgrowth can occur after antibiotic treatments, during times of decreased immunity due to treatments or disease states, or from inhaled steroid treatments.

Thrush is treated with a topical antifungal that the doctor directs you to swish around in the mouth to coat the affected areas, usually Nystatin.  If yeast is wide-spread, a systemic antifungal will be used.  Probiotics are a great way to keep your normal flora in balance.

Angular cheilitis (ky-ly-tis)

Cheilitis = inflammation of the lips.  This is the cracking that can occur in the corners of your mouth.  Many sources will tell you this is caused by a vitamin deficiency – like B-vitamins, iron, and zinc.  Other times, it may be a wound caused by contact dermatitis from increases contact with the tongue or your hands, and then they may become infected with normal skin bacteria or other bacteria in saliva.  An infected wound is one that doesn’t ever appear to heal.  Fungal infections, in the same way, cause the skin to crack open and appear overly dry and never-healing.

Lie Bumps

Transient Lingual Papillitis (swollen taste buds).  They can appear to be white or red, and they can be asymptomatic or very bothersome.  Not sure what exactly causes it.  Definitely NOT caused by lying.  *I used to think they were “lye bumps” as in sodium hydroxide that is a strong base and used to be popular as a detergent.*

Cleft lip/palate

A birth defect that has a strong genetic component, but also linked to environmental components that have not been pinpointed yet.  A cleft lip or palate is a result of parts of the mouth and face not fusing together during fetal development, and requires surgical correction after the baby is born.  The oral and nasal cavities are supposed to be separate and when they are not, it can increase the risk of sinus and ear infections.  Ear tubes are usually recommended.

Even after repair, a child may require speech and occupational therapies to develop the muscles needed for normal speech and eating habits.  Many times, a follow-up surgery is required as the child grows, and many other types of mental support are needed.

Bonus

*Mouth Cancers: the most common cause of mouth cancers is tobacco use (smoking, chewing).  It can start out as something that appears minor like a mouth sore, but can develop quickly into something deadly.  In the end, it can result in large areas of the mouth having to be surgically removed.

Callback

Probiotics

Connect with me

Support us on Patreon

Give us your Feedback

Join the Pharmacist Answers Podcast Community on Facebook

Subscribe: iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, TuneIn Radio

Like the Facebook page

Music Credits: Up In My Jam (All Of A Sudden) by – Kubbi https://soundcloud.com/kubbiCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/tDexBj46oNI

Mouth Parts – Episode 101

 in Podcasts  tagged episode / glands / gums / lips / mouth / palate / teeth / tongue / uvula by

bright red lips in a slight smirk behind a window covered in droplets of water

Mouth Parts

Lips:  They are red due to blood flow.  They have lots of nerve ending so they can be very sensitive.  Our lips are used to manipulate food as we eat and make sounds as part of our speech.
* The Divot above the center of your upper lip is called the philtrum.

Gums:  They are also known as the gingiva.  Even though they are wet and look fleshy, healthy gums are quite resilient.

Teeth: They are used for chewing, and possibly as a tool.  Healthy teeth and gums seal together tightly to keep out invaders.  We will talk about teeth in a separate episode.

Tongue:  It is a muscular organ made up of many muscles and nerve endings.  It just happens to be an organ that we can voluntarily move around.  We use our tongue to manipulate food and to make sounds for speech.  And, of course, it is covered in taste buds.  We will cover all of this in a separate episode.

Hard Palate:  A flesh-covered bone that connects the upper teeth.  Our tongue will smash food against it when we eat and use to make certain sounds in speech.

Soft Palate: It is a muscle behind the hard palate and it moves up to close off the nose when we swallow and sneeze.  It also interacts with the back of the tongue to make certain sounds when we talk.

Palatoglossal arch:  It marks the front edge of the soft palate.

Palatopharyngeal arch: It makes the back edge of the soft palate and the end of the “mouth”.

Salivary Glands

Parotid glands: The largest salivary glands are located by your jaws, below your ears.
Submandibular glands: They are located under the jaw and back molars
Sublingual glands: They are located under the tongue, behind your chin.
~1000 of mini glands: They cover the buccal (cheek) tissue, soft palate, uvula, and tongue to keep everything moist.  This is what allows the inside of the mouth to be known as a mucous membrane.

Sublingual papilla: This is the folds of skin under the tongue.  This area contains many blood vessels close to the surface.  Medicine development has learned this is a great place for medication absorption directly into the bloodstream.

Palatine raphe (ray-fee): This is the seam down the middle of the hard palate.

Frenula: Plural for frenulum.  These are folds of skin that connect one place to the other.  You have three: for your upper lip, lower lip, and tongue.

Uvula: Latin for “small bunch of grapes”.  It is attached to the soft palate and contains a gag reflex trigger.  It is also involved in snoring if it dries out.

 

Callback

Sneezing

Connect with me

Support us on Patreon

Give us your Feedback

Join the Pharmacist Answers Podcast Community on Facebook

Subscribe: iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, TuneIn Radio

Like the Facebook page

Music Credits: Up In My Jam (All Of A Sudden) by – Kubbi https://soundcloud.com/kubbiCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/tDexBj46oNI