Mouth Ulcers
B Dental in Doncaster East
Mouth Ulcers Treatment in Doncaster East
Mouth Ulcers
Mouth ulcers, sometimes known as canker sore, are tender sores inside your mouth or on gums, cheeks or the roof of your mouth. People often recognise ulcers because of their round white or yellow-ish colour shape surrounded by red, inflamed tissue.
Mouth ulcers aren’t contagious and usually go away within weeks. However, if you get a canker sore that is large or extremely painful, or lasting a long period of time without healing, you should seek the advice of a doctor or dentist.
What causes aphthous ulcers?
There is no definite cause behind mouth ulcers and people with a family history of mouth ulcers are at higher risk. However, most common triggers have been identified as:
- Minor mouth injury from dental work, hard brushing, sports injury, or accidental bite
- Toothpastes and mouth rinses that contain sodium lauryl sulfate
- Dental braces
- Food sensitivities to acidic foods like citrus based fruit and other trigger foods like chocolate and coffee
- Lack of essential vitamins, especially B-12, zinc, folate, and iron
- Hormonal changes during menstruation
- Emotional stress or lack of sleep
- Bacterial, viral, or fungal infections or allergies
How to treat mouth ulcers?
Mouth ulcers usually heal without treatment. However, there are many helpful lifestyle changes you can make to treat or prevent them:
- Using a rinse of saltwater and baking soda
- Placing milk of magnesia on the mouth ulcer
- Covering mouth ulcers with baking soda paste
- Using over-the-counter benzocaine (topical anesthetic) products
- Applying ice to canker sores
- Using a mouth rinse that contains a steroid to reduce pain and swelling
- Using topical pastes
Is it something else entirely?
Mouth ulcers can also have a totally different cause, including infection, gastrointestinal disease, oral cancer, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, burns, lichen planus, hormonal changes, abruptly quitting smoking and more. So if it concerns you, best to inform our friendly dentists at B Dental for further examination or professional advice.
