Hello, I am a 54 years old female in good health. I am not a smoker, nor do I drink...however, I have been diagnose with sleep apnea and lately I have been experiencing a sore and feels like a swollen papillae under the right side of my tongue . Sometime it is hard to swallow or chew food. Could this have anything with my heavy snoring or biting my tongue in my sleep? And, would a mouth retainer help me from biting my tongue? Would you recommend a see an Orthodontist?
Hi and welcome, After reading your history I would like to add this to your knowledge that Sleep apnea is the sleeping disorder where you may experience pauses during the sleep. These pauses are short-lived for about 5 to 10 secs to sometimes a minute. If it is a OBSTRUCTIVE sleep apnea you may have mouth breathing and snoring habit which leads to Chat Doctor. Xerostomia or decreased salivary secretion leads to inflammation of oral mucosa causing soreness, swollen papillae and redness. This can also be related to stress or deficiency of certain vitamins.I would suggest you to consult a dentist and get the examination done accordingly treatment can be carried out .yes an orthodontist can help you out with a prosthesis that prevents tongue bite during the sleep. I hope this helps, take care.