Have Red, Swollen And Numb Mouth. Facing Swallowing Difficulty. What Am I Suffering From?

Posted on Tue, 23 Apr 2013

Question: I had an episode of mouth numbness and mild difficulty swallowing because I couldn't feel the food. It was boliateral. I looked and my mouth was red, swollen and had sores on the walls. Not sore at all. I had flossed and brushed my teeth with a new toothpaste my wife had bought the day before. I assumed I was having some sort of allergy reaction to the toothpaste. That was ten days ago. I thought it had cleared up. The dentist, today, says I still have reddened places in my mouth. I complained that I have lost the buccal salivary glands, although the lingual still produce saliva. He saidI had to see an ENT. What do you think this might be? I have to wait a couple weeks for an ENT appt.

Answered by Dr. A.K. Srivastava (32 minutes later)

Hello

Thanks for writing to H.C.M. for your query.

I have gone through your query regarding soreness in your oral cavity with loss of taste sensation, I think you are having some dryness in mouth as well.

No doubt you have allergic episode,but the symptoms like loss of taste sensation and dryness of mouth which is persisting for ten days are most likely due to mixed infection. Now you should arrange for these basic investigations-

(a) Culture and sensitivity of saliva.

(b) Blood -CBC, blood sugar- (F. & P.P.), serum bilirubin, SGPT.

Till the investigations reports are awaited you may take-

(1) Antibiotic - Amoxicillin (625 mg) thrice a day.Later this may be change as per culture report.

(2) Anti inflammatory- Diclofenac (50 mg) twice a day.

(3) Vitamin-C (500 mg) once in a day.

(4) Antiseptic mouth wash.

(5) After mouth wash apply BOROGLYCERINE on your tongue.

I hope this will help you.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. A.K. Srivastava (26 minutes later)

My mouth was numb. No pain at all. The numbness made swallowing difficult because I could not feel the food until it had passed my uvula, which was also numb. After the food had passed the uvula, I could feel it and I could swallow.
I did not lose taste or smell, although a few days before the episode I had a strong odor in my nose, sort of like toy airplane glue. That went away the next day and hasn't returned.
Thank you for your response. I will call the ENT office again and try to have the appointment moved up.

Answered by Dr. A.K. Srivastava (9 hours later)

Hello

Welcome again in H.C.M.for Reconsultation.

You are having tase sensation and smell but only touch sensation of oral cavity had gone. Since still there are redness at places in oral cavity therefore infection and persistant odema are most likely responsible for this. Any thing else can be detected by thorough examination.

Wishing for early recovery.

Regards.

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar