Chewing gum for the curiously masochistic
—Posted by David Kiefaber |
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Since chewing Altoids cinnamon gum, I have a very painful tongue, especially toward the tip with white raised bumps and a coating on my tongue. My husband also has had this happen with the Altoids cinnamon gum. Does anyone know why this happens? How can they sell this stuff?
Posted by: Dominie Bush | Jun 26, 2005 10:18:32 AM
I've had the same experience as Ms. Bush. I chewed a few pieces of Altoids cinnamon gum over the last two days, and my tongue is now covered with painful white bumps. It's hard to eat and swallow.
I'm going to write to the company and let them know what kind of product they're putting out there. This stuff should come with a warning.
Posted by: Katie | Jan 15, 2006 10:49:22 AM
I had the same thing happpen, only with the new Eclipse Cinnamon. My tongue has been hurting since Sunday.
Posted by: bev | Jan 25, 2006 8:24:42 PM
i chewed some big red friday night and now its sunday and my tongue hurts worse than ever.. i wish i knew what was up!
Posted by: marcus | Jan 29, 2006 2:48:49 PM
i chewed the sour altoid chewing gum yesterday for the first time. i chewed approximately 8 pieces of it. Anyway, my teeth have not felt the same since. I have an emergency apt. with my dentist because my teeth are in so much pain. I think there are chemicals in the gum that rotted my teeth. i've eaten sour candies before and have eaten and chewed so much gum and candy throughout my life and i've never EVER experienced this painful sensation before. All this company cares about is money/dollarsigns and not limiting the chemicals they use in their products.
Posted by: joree | Apr 14, 2006 11:25:00 PM
I chewed the Altoids Cinnamon gum all day yesterday while at work and by the time I got home last night (9:30 pm) my tongue and teeth were killing me! This stuff needs to be pulled from the shelves!
Posted by: Angie | Jun 23, 2006 9:49:34 AM
I wish I had read this before I chewed Big Red. I chewed some yesterday and my tongue feels like it is on fire today. I don't have white bumps but my tongue is very red. Do any of you have any ideas how to fix it, I tried to get some antibacterial mouthwash but I thik that is making it worse?
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by: JW | Jul 26, 2006 2:14:41 AM
Anytime I've had any kind of Cinammon flavored gum/candy, I can't keep it for more than 3 minutes in my mouth... Same thing with sours... I hate it anyway. The point is... if it hurts your tongue it's probably not a good idea to eat it in the first place... Dogs know this instinctively, youll rarely see a dog dying because of bad food. Dogs can tell when something's not kosher and theyll stay away from it. Why must humans torture their tongues? If it stings it cant be good!!!
Posted by: G | Jul 27, 2006 2:34:50 PM
to the dude who says "I have chewed so much gum and candy throughout my life and I've never EVER experienced this painful sensation before"... well, maybe THAT is why your teeth hurt now, cause you've chewed so much candy and gum throughout your life.
I love the altoids sour gum, haven't had a problem with it, and no, I don't work for altoids :)
Posted by: m | Jul 27, 2006 6:32:20 PM
ditto on the painful teeth!
sour apple for the first time yesterday (12 hours plus) and ever since the first 'crunch' into the outer shell ALL of my teeth are extremely sensitive and painful to sweet, or hot or cold!
shame on you callard and bowser
Posted by: ditto | Nov 20, 2006 2:51:49 PM
got that shit from eclipse cinnamon (teeth and tongue) except only my front teeth... anyone know how long it lasts? :(
Posted by: mark | Dec 7, 2006 9:10:37 PM
My Tongue Hurt for days and I lost my taste. Something must be wrong with this stuff.
Posted by: wes | Dec 13, 2006 5:11:28 PM
Chewed a couple cinnamon altoids yesterday and my tongue is swollen and has raised bumps. Can't taste much and hurts. Throwing those little candies out.
Posted by: Brandon | Jan 27, 2007 4:40:52 PM
From what I have read, this seems to be some form of an allergic reaction to cinnamon. I get the swollen tongue, can't taste, bumps on tongue symptoms everytime I put anything with Cinnamon in my mouth. I had known it happened to me from chewing Cinnamon gum but I finally found out why after I used some Cinnamon mouthwash which has numbed my tongue for about 3 days now.
Posted by: Izzie | Feb 14, 2007 12:11:47 AM
SOUR & CINNAMON PROBLEMS? I HAVE AN EXPLANATION!
CINNAMON oil is a very strong sensitizer, or skin irritant. To a lesser extent, the same is true of PEPPERMINT oil, the ingredient used in large amounts in mint, cinnamon, and some other Altoids flavors to produce the "curiously strong" effect. People who work with essential oils know that you should never put these two oils on your skin undiluted, so no surprise these ingredients might cause irritation to the sensitive tissues in the mouth!
I'm convinced cinnamon oil can also irritate the nerves in at least some people's teeth. A couple months ago, I switched from chewing two pieces of Dentyne Ice Vanilla Mint gum to Trident White in Cinnamon flavor, and at the same time, developed serious tooth pain in a couple places in my mouth. I went to the dentist, convinced I must have a couple of just killer cavities! I've had tooth sensitivity before, at the gumline, but nothing like this - my teeth hurt deep inside, kept me up at night, and no amount of toothpaste for sensitive teeth alleviated it. The dentist found nothing, and the pain continued. Then I remembered what I knew about cinnamon being a sensitizer, stopped chewing the gum, and the pain went away completely within two days. Too bad - I love cinnamon! - but I won't be chewing that, or any other cinnamon gum anymore.
As for the nasty effects of SOUR CANDY AND GUM - The key is citric or other acid ingedients, which are what produce the sour/tart taste. In high enough concentrations, these very commonly cause mouth sores and raised, irritated bumps on the tongue (technically, canker sores and mouth ulcers). This is a really common effect of many types of candy and other foods, even natural ones like orange juice, that contain citric acid. The problem some have with Altoids sours may just be the AMOUNT of citric acid in them. A compromised immune system can also lead to the development of the same sores - many people get them when they're fighing off colds and flu or simply feeling the effects of a bad diet. Ingesting too much sugar alone can weaken the immune system, so really, any candy, if you eat enough of it, (especially in the absense of other, healthier foods) can cause 'm.
Citric acid, like sugar, can also degrade tooth enamel, exposing the dentin and causing nerve pain (AKA tooth sensitivity). As a result, it's recommended that people with tooth sensitivity avoid foods high in citric acid, because it will make the condition worse.
Probably many people can handle even "curiously strong" amounts of cinnamon oil, peppermint oil, and citric acid, while others (even those who might love the flavor!) can't. Don't blame the Altoids people - just read ingredients labels or, better yet, as a previous poster suggested, make like a dog and follow your instincts - simply avoid foods that seem to make *YOU* (even if not your friends) sick. Everyone's body chemistry is different, so it's really true what they say - one person's pleasure may be another's poison.
Posted by: Anna | Feb 24, 2007 3:43:03 PM
Every time I eat anything with cinnamon flavour I have a VERY painful tongue with white raised bumps, no matter how much I eat (even with 1 piece). I happens with Altoids and also with candy, gum, lollipops, etc.
Posted by: Victor | Mar 13, 2007 12:39:27 PM
Any time I eat ANY hard candy, or sugary gum (anytime sugar stays in my mouth a long time) I get the sores on the tip of my tongue. :(
Posted by: mary | Mar 19, 2007 6:57:12 PM
Eclipse Cinnamon! My tongue was all white, swollen and painful for the whole week. My tongue feel like there are canker sores all over it. I didn't realize it was that flavour that caused it two months ago until I had some again two days ago and my tongue is numb and sore again. I'm flushing them down the toilet. Sheesh! I'm glad I saw this page or I would be worried something is wrong with me.
Posted by: Lulu | Apr 13, 2007 11:20:58 PM
Eclipse Cinnamon! My tongue was all white, swollen and painful for the whole week. My tongue feel like there are canker sores all over it. I didn't realize it was that flavour that caused it two months ago until I had some again two days ago and my tongue is numb and sore again. I'm flushing them down the toilet. Sheesh! I'm glad I saw this page or I would be worried something is wrong with me.
Posted by: Lulu | Apr 13, 2007 11:22:13 PM
Thank God!!!!!!!!! I chew Dentyne "HOT STUFF" cinnamon gum. I was told it settles your stomach and I travel a lot so I had a piece everyday. However, it just started happening about a month ago. I too feel I have canker sores(though I don't get them) on the inside of my lower lip and my tongue feels the same as everyone's with the white bumps. I can't wait until this stops now that I know. I thought I might have lip and tongue cancer. AGAIN, THANK GOD I READ THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Mary | Apr 18, 2007 1:54:28 PM
I'm so glad I found this page!!! I too was seriously wondering if there was something wrong with ME ... now I know it has to be the Eclipse Cinnamon mints. I bought the packet a week or so ago and after eating a few, my tongue felt swollen and really sore. I suspected it was the mints and stopped eating them, but yesterday I thought I'd try one, just to see. Sure enough, today my tongue is sore again. They ought to take this stuff off the shelves ASAP!! Oh, and no ingredient list on the packet either, which is pretty strange!
Posted by: Carolyn | May 15, 2007 2:52:04 AM
I'm glad I found this site as well.
I had some cinnamon candy a few weeks ago. Then the sides of my tongue were sore/hurt and I had the small white bumps. That progressed and went away in probably 3-4 days. I used Listerine thinking it was some bacterial problem. Now, I just had the cinnamon candy again, and I'm getting the same problem. It must be that cinnamon candy that's doing it. The soreness gets really annoying. No more cinnamon candy for me.
Posted by: Doug E. | May 18, 2007 11:41:52 PM
Had the same reaction...but got used to it and now am addicted to the stuff! I go through a tin a day and actually have cravings for it. How bizarre is that?
Posted by: Laura J, | May 21, 2007 2:03:00 AM
My husband seems to be having the same problem after eating one piece of altoids cinnamon gum 3 days ago. I feel so sorry for him cos he can barely eat or speak b'cos of the pain. Does anybody know what I can releive this pain with???
Posted by: Tara O. | May 29, 2007 8:16:44 PM
MELON ICE MINT BY DENTYNE! I couldn't chew anything for several days after. Beware!
Posted by: Adi | Jun 5, 2007 9:42:37 AM
Yes - eclipse cinnamon! It's killing my tongue! AVOID!
Posted by: pedro | Jun 10, 2007 5:50:27 AM
Took me a while to figure out what was causing my weekly mouth sores. I thought it was my Thai lunches. My dermatologist thought it was Herpes.
Then one week it occured without the Thai lunch. Then I realized I had had Dentyne Fire Cinnamon gum, as I do after every Thai lunch. The reaction is delayed about 24 hours and lasts about four days.
I stopped with the gum and had no recurrence of oral cankers.
Thanks to those who posted here.
Dr. Mike
Posted by: Dr. Mike | Jun 17, 2007 12:28:36 AM
Altoids Cinnamon gums should be banned!!! It's caused blisters over my tongues and I can barely eat any food as a result. I am going to write a letter to complain.
Posted by: | Jun 23, 2007 1:47:58 AM
I used both cinnamon altoids mints and gum about two years ago mostly everyday. I noticed sores in my mouth that seemed to come and go, but never really related the sores to the altoids. I eventually stopped the altoids but the sores under my tongue really never went away. Now a couple years later, I had a biopsy of the mouth sore and it was "severe epithelial dyspasia" or another way of saying Pre-Cancer! I really suspect the altoids because that's when it all started, unfortunately the sores never got better when I stopped the altoids. Hindsight really is 20/20!
Posted by: debbie | Jul 1, 2007 6:11:56 PM
my god- so glad for this website- i started chewing eclipse cinammon gum and had the same reaction as others here- sore tongue, white bumps, hurts to eat or talk..it's been only a couple of days-- 2 q's- is there anything to take to make this go away? and is there a decent gum out there that doesn't cause this?
Posted by: flooz | Jul 2, 2007 10:54:53 PM
The acid that is found in Sour candies and im not sure about the cinammom cause the enamal on your teeth to erode thus causing your teeth to become weak and sensative. I LOVE sour things and im only 15 and i see a small part of my front teeth are becoming a little transprent ince then i brush more stop eating sour candies and when i do i brush my teeth and soda it is very bad for your teeth.Hope this helps someome out there.
Posted by: Nique | Jul 16, 2007 3:49:34 AM
I am so relieved to have found this information. I thought I had a medical condition or drug adverse reaction then decided that I would check on the Cinnamon Altoids I have been using - what a relief - I am convinced now that these are the culprit.
Thanks!
Posted by: desertdweller | Jul 17, 2007 6:12:21 PM
My tongue is so swollen and hurts, also from a cinnamon candy, but mine was Victoria Secrets mints. I had about 10 over 2 hours on Wednesday and Friday morning when I woke up I could barely speak. Today is Sunday, and I am still in pain. I agree with the person who said it takes about 24 hours to manifest and last several days. Ouch!!!
Posted by: swollentongue | Jul 22, 2007 1:49:27 PM
I've been having the same problem for years, when I started chewing Big Red after like.. six years of avoiding it. I assumed it was an allergic reaction, but it burned my tongue to the point that I couldn't taste for a week on t he tip of my tongue, I had white bumps, my entire tongue was red and slightly swollen, and my teeth hurt for the rest of the day. All I've noticed that you can do is try to coat your tongue with milk or a bit of sugar and avoid abrasive foods until it goes down. :( Not everybody has that reaction though, which is what makes me think it might be a common allergy or something of the sort.
Posted by: Ari | Aug 23, 2007 9:48:00 AM
I have the same problem, I chewed Big Red and I can't taste anything. I hope this goes away.
Posted by: Andy Love | Aug 24, 2007 2:37:32 PM
Big Red chewing gum....I have the small white bumps on my tongue, and it feels sort of numb. Really glad to find this site-there should be a warning or something on any product that can cause this!
Posted by: Car Buff | Aug 25, 2007 3:21:07 PM
OMFG. I have been chewing Dentyne Fire for just 2 days and I started getting red bumps under my tongue and it hurts a lot. We should write a complain letter to both Dentyne, Big Red and Altoid. We should sue em big time. They deserve to suffer.
Posted by: Dentyne Hater | Sep 6, 2007 9:21:47 PM
I chewed a piece of Big Red, which I never have done since i was little. A couple days later and I am having a numb tongue, with several painful tiny bumps, and didn't even remember the stupid gum until I found this page. Here I was thinking I had some weird disease.
Posted by: ouch | Sep 7, 2007 8:12:26 PM
I'm so glad I'm not alone! I chewed the Altoids Cinnamon gum over a period of a few days. My tongue has been swollen (with the white bumps)and I have what I think are canker sores all over my mouth. It's been extremely painful for about 4 days now.
Posted by: bad altoids | Sep 14, 2007 11:20:16 PM
i have been chewing dentyne fire and got white bumps and mouth burning all over in mouth then i stopped chewing it...then i had some cinnamon altoids and got a bump on my face and white bumps and hot i was allergic --- IT SUCKSSS!!!
Posted by: this sucks | Sep 15, 2007 5:53:37 PM
I am so glad I found this post-I thought I had thrush! Turns out it's the dentyne fire gum I've been chewing! I wonder if it's a cinnamon allergy that we all suffer from. Any comments??
Posted by: Karen | Sep 15, 2007 9:39:12 PM
I am also incredibly thankful to have found this page so I had to contribute. I have been chewing Dentyne Cinnamon gum for several days now and the area underneath my tongue is extremely sore, swollen, and I have white bumps... it was my first time chewing cinnamon gum regularly in a very long time. It sounds like this is the culprit. When I typed my symotoms into google, other results I recievd included oral cancer, etc.! Thank you.
Posted by: Dani | Sep 18, 2007 8:33:08 AM
Everytime I eat a cinnamon candy called Hot Tamales I get a very sore tongue that is swollen and raw. I used to eat Hot Tamales frequently, and I still love them, but I know if I eat them, I'm going to pay a price. The pain and swelling lasts for about 4 days. But if I eat a cinnamon roll, or something with powdered cinnamon in it, I'm fine--no reaction at all.
I don't chew gum or do breath mints often, but I'll make sure to avoid the ones listed here. But all peppermint, spearming and wintergreen, like cinnamon, have an essential oil that can be irritating, so it makes sense that some people are going to get sore mouths and tongues no matter what flavor they choose. Doesn't it?
Posted by: Jordie | Sep 27, 2007 12:18:11 PM
I have had the same experience. I've tried ice water, yogurt, mineral water, apple cider vinegar (ouch! what was I thinking?).... Finally, I tried warm (not hot) tea with splenda. Have been sipping on that and it seems to help. I guess I just have to be quiet for a day or two....maybe the world would be better off if I didn't talk so much anyway. lol
Posted by: Louise | Oct 3, 2007 10:39:42 AM
I had one peace of Big Red cinnamon gum and the my tongue hurts like hell! Never again!!
Posted by: Sinke | Oct 6, 2007 3:06:14 PM
I've been having tongue problems that started a few months into a new habit of regularly chewing Dentyne Fire cinnamon gum. From what I have been reading, cinnamon gum has an antibacterial action (see http://www.newstarget.com/001074.html). Could it be that it kills the bacteria responsible for keeping the yeast fungus in check in our mouths, and the sore and white areas (some people reported a coating) are actually from a yeast infection?
Posted by: Max | Oct 9, 2007 2:35:52 PM
Link is:
http://www.newstarget.com/001074.html
Posted by: Max | Oct 9, 2007 2:37:19 PM
My tongue hurts so terribly that I'm in pain every time I try to eat something, all thanks to a stick of Big Red I ate two days ago. Thank goodness I'm not going crazy and this IS a real problem! However, it is a terrible pain and nothing is helping!!
Posted by: Amanda | Oct 13, 2007 10:24:24 PM
Ohman. I ate about 3-4 pieces of Dentyne Fire cinnamon gum yesterday while at work... I noticed my mouth was feeling fairly dry, but it wasn't until later on that night that the pain kicked in.
Now my tongue is pale and I have white bumps at the tip and along the side--even my cheek has been affected.
It's so dumb, because while I was chewing the gum it was burning (like it always does) but I kept chewing it anyways, thinking 'it's supposed to be hot, whatever' o_O
Never again.
Posted by: Emily | Oct 14, 2007 5:27:32 PM
P.S. I've discovered that PLAIN yogurt makes it feel 10x better.
Posted by: Emily | Oct 14, 2007 7:06:54 PM
