Painful mouth on longer rides.

[Ashaman42]

This is a problem I've had on LEL (1400km) and the BCM (600km), I may have had it on 200km rides but can't say for certain.

Basically after a certain amount of time I get a rather painful tongue, feels like my teeth are sharp and the tongue looks slightly cracked/red in places. It's not show stopping but is rather annoying and takes some of the pleasure away from eating.

Is it most likely to be caused by
a) my increase in chocolate and sweet consumption, high sugar content foods
b) not brushing my teeth enough, I carry a toothbrush but sometimes I'm in the control before I realise it's still on the bike
c) practically all my breathing whilst riding is through my mouth due to a perma-snotty nose, is the constant airflow drying out my tongue?

I'm leaning towards a combination of a and b but would value any input.

[marcusjb]

Certainly something I suffer from on the longer stuff and I think a) and b) are all very likely along with just the effects of several days of being out in the sun and wind.

Possibly, on some harder riders, I clench my teeth a bit as I climb etc.

Toothbrush and ice cream (not at the same time!).  I often find an ice cream just makes everything less sore.

My lips are very dry for a few days after a long event (something I never suffer from normally).

[Kim]

I get that from eating certain foods (usually salty things, cheese, or anything rough in texture), and it tends to get worse if I'm not drinking enough.  How's your hydration?

I find chocolate (pure chocolate - no biscuity stuff, sugary shells or whatever) and creamy things (milkshakes are good) help.  Squishy foods (eg. curry, pasta) are neutral.  Cleaning teeth helps a lot.  Drinking provides short-term (of the order of seconds) relief.  Consequently, I find it's actually an advantage when cycling, as it encourages me to drink more often.

Dry lips are another matter, I tend to get those from too much time in the sun, or being sandblasted in winter.  They only correlate if it's an allergic reaction to something I've eaten.

[hellymedic]

I wonder if there's a fungal/thrushy component to this and suggest swilling your mouth and drinking clear water after every snack.
It's not a problem I have had.