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Small, out-of-sight, painful, persistent and annoying.\u00a0 These terms are descriptive of what are called canker sores or aphthous ulcers.\u00a0 These shallow ulcers in your mouth can make eating and even talking uncomfortable. They may occur on your tongue, soft palate (back roof of your mouth), inside your cheeks or lips, and at the base of your gums.<\/p>\n
Canker sores differ from cold sores (remember them?) in that they occur in the soft tissues of your mouth and are not contagious.\u00a0 On the other hand, cold sores rarely develop in those areas of the mouth, and are extremely contagious, being caused by the herpes virus.<\/p>\n
Aphthous ulcers are common, but their cause is unknown.\u00a0 They can occur at any age, but often first appear between the ages of 10 and 40, like migraine headaches, incidentally.<\/p>\n
Often, no treatment is necessary. Pain often decreases after several days, and the sores usually heal in one to three weeks.\u00a0 Occasionally, severe ones can grow to larger than 1 centimeter in diameter or last longer than two weeks, or both. These include: Though not necessarily related to the canker sores, one may also experience fever, listlessness and swollen glands, properly called lymph nodes.<\/p>\n WHAT CAUSES THESE SORES?<\/strong><\/p>\n The cause of most remains a mystery.<\/p>\n It is generally believed that stress or tissue injury may cause canker sores to erupt.\u00a0 A trigger may be something as minor as biting the inside of your mouth.\u00a0 Other causes may include:<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Faulty immune system function. Anyone can get canker sores, but they tend to run in families and may be a hereditary condition.<\/p>\n SEE THE DOC See your dentist if you have sharp tooth surfaces or dental appliances that seem to appear to trigger the sores. Most of the time, no treatment is necessary and canker sores will heal on their own.\u00a0 Prescription medication may be suggested if your sores are large, painful, or persistent.\u00a0 Pain relief may require a prescription mouthwash, a corticosteroid (anti-inflammatory) salve or an anesthetic (numbing) solution.<\/p>\n CAN ONE PREVENT THESE SORES IN THE MOUTH, OF ALL PLACES?<\/strong><\/p>\n Canker sores can recur, so you may be able to reduce their frequency by dealing with factors that seem to trigger them.\u00a0 Some suggestions:<\/p>\n Watch what you eat.\u00a0 For how many things have you heard this?\u00a0 Avoid foods that seem to irritate your mouth.\u00a0 These may include acidic foods, nuts, and certain spices.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t chew and talk at the same time.\u00a0 Doing this could cause minor trauma to the delicate lining of your mouth, triggering a canker sore.<\/p>\n Follow good oral hygiene habits.\u00a0 Regular brushing after meals and flossing once daily can keep your mouth clean and free of foods that might trigger a sore.\u00a0 Using a soft brush may help you avoid irritation of mouth tissues.\u00a0 You didn\u2019t have to get these bits of advice from me; you dentist could tell you just as well or better. See you next week.<\/p>\n Dr. Victor Emanuel has been an educator of medical professionals in training, and the public, for over 20 years in Dominica. The contents of his articles are based on facts and research conducted, and not of his opinion.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Small, out-of-sight, painful, persistent and annoying.\u00a0 These terms are descriptive of what are called canker sores or aphthous ulcers.\u00a0 These shallow ulcers in your mouth can make eating and even talking uncomfortable. They may occur on your tongue, soft palate…","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":17122,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-talk"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n
\nWHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Painful sore or sores inside your mouth at the sites already mentioned.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Tingling or burning sensation before the sores appear.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Round, whitish appearance to sores, with a red edge or halo.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Nutritional deficiencies of vitamin B-12 (beware, those of you who don\u2019t eat meat), zinc, folic acid or iron, the latter found in green, leafy vegetables, red meat, liver, kidney, red beans, soy bean flour, and many other foods.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0A disease of the gastrointestinal tract.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Food allergies.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Menstrual periods.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>
\nIf you have:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Unusually large sores.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Pain that you can\u2019t control with self-care measures.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0High fever with canker sores.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Persistent sores, lasting three or more weeks.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Difficulty drinking enough fluids.<\/p>\n
\n
\nTREATMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n
\nCARING FOR YOURSELF
\n<\/strong>
\nThe following may provide temporary relief of canker sores:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Avoid abrasive, or acidic or spicy foods which may increase pain,
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Apply ice to the sores or allow ice chips to slowly dissolve over the sores to ease pain.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Use a soft brush carefully to avoid irritating the sore.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Rinse your mouth with salt water or over-the-counter preparations.\u00a0 Try diluted hydrogen peroxide or syrup of Benadryl.\u00a0 Be sure to spit out the Benadryl so that the medication doesn\u2019t make you sleepy, as you know it can.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Dab a small amount of milk of magnesia (MOM) on your canker sore a few times a day.\u00a0 (Mom is so good to have around, yes?) This can ease pain and assist in healing.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Use an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, Paracetamol.\u00a0 Don\u2019t give Aspirin, to children.\u00a0 It could trigger a rare but potentially fatal disorder known as Reye\u2019s syndrome.<\/p>\n