Dr Reznik,

I'm experiencing some oral irritation. It is never there when I wake up in the morning, but later in the day I get a feeling of something dripping from the back of my nose down into my throat, and there is some itching in my throat. My tongue also feels dry, or "rough". My tongue looks perfectly fine as do my gums and palate - i e no patches, ulcers or lesions. I tend to rub my tongue against the roof of my mouth a lot, sort of to feel if it's alright; I guess this only increases the feeling of roughness on the tongue. I have been under some stress lately. What could this be?

When looking at factors which lead to dry mouth, stress is always at or near the top of the list. Also, I would suggest you visit your primary care provider to rule out post-sinus nasal drip as the cause of the feeling you have of something dripping from the back of your nose down into your throat. To answer your question, it appears you are dealing with minor oral irritation dues to stress induced xerostomia (dry mouth). Please take the time to visit your physician to address the sinus issue.

DR