**I’ve developed a really painful dry mouth. My tongue and everything around it feels like it’s burning – what can I do? **Sophia, London
Dr Christian says: You must get this checked out by your GP but you may have something called burning mouth syndrome, which causes a hot sensation in the mouth, which may occur just on the tongue or lips or spread throughout the mouth. It can be worse after eating spicy foods or at times of stress. The pain is often accompanied by dryness. We don’t really know why it happens but we do know that it is more common in women, particularly coming up to the menopause. It can last for several years but there are some treatments available, usually drugs used to treat chronic pain conditions. Your GP can also prescribe synthetic saliva preparations to help with your dry mouth, and chewing sugar-free gum can also help.