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Can anyone help with these strange mouth symptoms?

Thanks for looking. 3 months ago, I began experiencing a strange feeling behind both upper sets of molars that I can only describe as a numb and chapped like sensation....sort of like how it feels if you have sucked on a lemon.  .....Over the course of about a week it spread down the insides of my cheeks on both sides and eventually to the insides of my lips. The inside of my mouth then became raw. I didn't develop sores but what looked like bed blotches. My doctor was puzzled, but tested me for sti's, hiv, etc. All results came back normal as did my blood panel. I was told to gargle with baking soda and everything would simply heal eventually. Weeks later, the symptoms did not disappear. My mouth would seem to look normal only to "break out" again within a couple days. I went to my dentist and was told it didn't look like any type of dental problem. It is not a dry mouth issue. I thought maybe it was an allergic reaction....switched to a natural toothpaste, didn't use mouthwash....nothing helped. In addition to this, I started to develop a flushing/rash on my upper chest and neck that would randomly appear throughout the day, lasting about 10 minutes. This tended to happen would I would use my mouth....talking for an extended period or eating. It is like I am having an allergic reaction to something in my mouth. Finally after a couple months, the severe redness in my mouth went away but the pasty and chapped feeling, now somewhat patchy in my cheeks and especially behind my upper and lower lips has not gone away. I even feel it on the roof of my mouth. Drinking or rinsing immediately feels like I have sucked on a lemon. My Dr, still puzzled, gave me a referral to an ENT.  After a quick examination, the ENT said everything looked normal despite my protests about these ongoing symptoms for 3 months now. I was told that perhaps it was stomatitis (despite not having canker sores or anything like that) and he recommended I take zinc, vitamin c, b-complex and Iron supplements. I have always been a somewhat healthy person (non smoker, no drugs, no excessive drinking). I have been on these supplements now for a few weeks and there is no change.

I need help and don't feel like I am getting it despite talking with 3 professionals now. It has now become extremely debilitating because it is uncomfortable all day long. Any ideas? Thanks so much.
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1530171 tn?1448129593
Try the Oil Pulling using virgin organic coconut oil.
Amazingly, any numbness and dryness in my mouth that I would get on an occasional basis-never bothered to look for the cause- have entirely disappeared , since I started doing Oil Pulling.

And, yes the ENT is probably right, it takes time to correct vitamin deficiencies,however, symptom improvement usually comes at a gradual rate, perhaps difficult to tell at first-  and only if  the issue indeed  has to do with the deficiencies in question.
Sublingual drops work better, but the ones which come in tablet form could be taken sublingually as well. Just place under tongue and wait till dissolved

Best wishes,
Niko
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have started on the supplements you recommended as my B-Complex did not contain the bioavailable forms. It has been 5 days now. Thankfully, I haven't gotten any neck or chest rashes for about a week also. The red spots behind my lips seem to be fading. The patchy numb/dryness (again, like I've sucked on a lemon) continues, though. It is very frustrating because, as I said before, it changes spots in my mouth and there are no visible reasons for it. A day ago, the entire left inside of my cheek felt that way and today the insides of both my bottom and left lips feel that way.

When I saw the ENT, he told me that it can literally take months to feel a change if it is a vitamin deficiency...
Helpful - 0
1530171 tn?1448129593
I think your ENT is on the right track, however,  ENTs are not nutritionists,
nor biochemists so his recommendation needs some tweaking.
Let's back it up a bit.
Stomatitis and specifically allergic contact stomatitis (which is very suspect in your case) is a type IV DELAYED hypersensitivity, making it difficult to connect the sensitivity symptoms with the offending substance.
Nutritional deficiencies because of malabsorption or low intake,  are a known cause of stomatitis.
Here's the part which may explain why there's no change:
1. You will still have a deficiency of B12, Folate and B6 if you have absorption issues, because these vitamins need to be converted to Methylocobalamin, Methylfolate and PLP respectively, which are the bioactive forms used by the body.
So check your B-complex and if it does not contain the latter bioavailable
forms, ditch it and get  the right ones, even if they might be sold individually
and not in a B-complex  formulation.
2. Supplemental iron is notoriously difficult to absorb and usually causes
stomach upset, constipation etc. Larger doses remain mostly unabsorbed.
Choose your supplement carefully and also try to consume iron-rich foods
and take vitamin C for better iron absorption.
3. Zinc could be an allergen, possibly contributing more to your issues, than resolving them.

To screen for offending substances, I recommend you try Dr. Coca's Pulse Test, which will take about one week to complete (free download) which will also indicate delayed or hidden sensitivity type IV.
This test is not an established medical test (because there is no financial incentive being a self-test) however my opinion is that it is superior to the
conventional prescribed medical allergy tests.

I have improved my oral health and minimized inflammation and infections
by doing Oil Pulling with coconut oil every morning before breakfast.
Billions of harmful bacteria and toxins get removed this way from the oral cavity, instead of causing damage there or spreading to other parts of the
body.

Talking or eating could be activating an inflammatory secondary response
(thus the delayed reaction) to an earlier exposure to an allergen, where the
primary response was T-cell sensitization causing them to produce allergen (antigen) clones.
You can't stop talking and eating, however, you can eliminate any offending substances and correct relevant nutritional deficiencies, by choosing the right supplements and optimizing nutritional intake.

I hope this helps, however, please note that my comments are not intended to replace medical advice.

Best wishes,
Niko


Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Thanks so much for the insightful reply. My primary Dr. said it didn't look like stomatitis to him because there are no lesions and it typically doesn't last that long. I have to assume there are many different causes and symptoms of it, though. I came to the allergic reaction conclusion myself based on the red blotches. The only photos I found online that resembled them were hypersensitivity "spots". I have experienced the rash on my neck and upper chest in the past when drinking alcohol, so always thought it was a mild allergic reaction, as well. I also forgot to mention that throughout the day I also feel a tingling around my mouth.  It is comforting to read your thoughts that it might be a delayed allergic reaction of sorts that I can't seem to kick. It has been as frustrating as this condition has been to have my primary and my dentist kind of shrug and brush my symptoms off like they simply aren't happening because they can't see anything.
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