Well there must be a reason that there are are specific formulations designed for subligual use. The insoluble inactives in the pills meant to be swallowed could be irritating the mucosa. The sublinguals also probably contain some kind of buffer. I know upsetting your oral pH can cause some problems.
I'm pretty damn sure that the only reason they created specific sublingual formulations was further profit, kind of like Evergreening that is so common in Big Pharma, (for example, citalopram's patent almost runs up, all of a sudden they release the pure enantiomer Escitalopram, market it as the coolest NEW thing since sliced bread, flood the market with Lexapro tablets and oh-look-its-not-a-pill liquid solution). In other words, $$$$$
The only difference I have ever found between oral alprazolam (Xanax) and the sublingual dissolving version (Niravam) was the texture of the decomposition of the pill. The sublingual formulations break down much faster, and honestly I prefer using the oral alprazolam because it breaks down SLIGHTLY slower, and I'm able to keep it in the perfect spot under my tongue, unlike SL benzos which tend to dissolve all over the place in your mouth.
The only other significant difference between oral (Xanax) and SL (Niravam) version of alprazolam is price.
edit:
The inactive ingredients in my xanax bars are as follows:
docusate sodium (interesting, quite possibly irritating to mucosa, this is the active ingredient in many stool softeners)
lactose monohydrate (not surprising, can't imagine it being irritating)
magnesium stearate (typical of most pills)
microcrystalline cellulose (typical of most pills)
pregelatinized starch (probably for texture?)
sodium benzoate (as a preservative, I'd imagine)
Does anyone else see anything that I don't in terms of inactive ingredients in Alprazolam that could pose irritation to the sublingual ROA?