A painful sore that’s usually red with a white coat appearing within the mouth is a mouth ulcer or canker sore. These sores may appear in various areas of the mouth; within the lips, inside cheeks, on the gum or under the tongue. They differ from fever blisters/cold sores because fever blisters are often on the surface of the lips plus they’re not contagious.
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Young girls in their teens and twenties are more prone to canker sores. Though the reason for these sores aren’t known, it’s thought they might be brought on by stress, poor nutrition, allergies to food and menstrual cycle. In acute cases, the sore may be as large as an inch wide and might leave scars. Usually more than one sore will erupt at one time. The term of recovery time is about two weeks. They aren’t thought to be inherited, although some family members share the exact same experience of having canker sores. Some people will just have a couple of episodes of canker sores per year, while others have them all the time.
Bacteria
Virus isn’t the cause of a canker sore, but an allergy to a certain bacteria found in the mouth might be the cause, or might just be an allergic reaction to certain sorts of food. An immune system not functioning properly can trigger the nausea, but they’re not connected to any illness. Some studies have discovered nutritional deficiencies can lead to canker sores, such as vitamin B12, folic acid and iron. Persons with gastrointestinal problems occasionally have reoccurring canker sores, as a result of their digestive issues.
More women have these mouth ulcers than guys do, so it’s figured perhaps the female sexual hormones contribute to the problem. During the menstrual cycle, a lot of women have occurrences of canker sores, but during pregnancy aren’t bothered with them. Hormone therapy has been used successfully in treating girls. An injury to the mouth can bring on this kind of mouth ulcer.
Stress factor
Also, stress is a factor in bringing on a sore. There are blood and allergy tests you can have to learn what could be causing the nausea. If it’s shown to be a nutrient deficiency, then vitamin supplements can be taken to avoid these sores from forming. If there’s a food allergy discovered, then avoiding those foods can help to cut back on the incidence of these mouth ulcers. Treatments for relieving the pain are benzocaine, which may be bought over-the-counter without prescription.
Anti-inflammatory mouth rinses need a prescription and are often only given in severe cases. The mouth rinses work to decrease the pain and do assist in healing. Using the tetracycline mouth rinse several times daily will begin to decrease the pain in about twenty-four hours. However, the tetracycline can permanently stain teeth in children.
Final note
Canker sores can be a good deal more painful than fever blisters because the sore is within the mouth. Eating, drinking, brushing teeth can irritate the sore. It’s sensible to avoid foods which are salty, such as potato chips and popcorn; also acidic and spicy foods. Care must be taken when brushing teeth in order not to jab the gums or cheek with the brush. Researchers have found in assessing peoples’ immune systems a difference in ones that are prone to canker sores and people that are not. They still haven’t determined whether a weak immune system is a cause for all these mouth ulcers.