Q1. What Are Mouth Ulcers?
Mouth ulcers are a common ailment that can occur inside the mouth or on the lips and gums. A small and painful blister can be caused by the herpes simplex virus or injury to the mouth. Sometimes, mouth ulcers are caused by food allergies or vitamin deficiencies. They are painful and uncomfortable and can make eating a challenge. Moreover, they can be embarrassing and make you feel like you must hide your mouth. The pain and discomfort of mouth ulcers can last for days or weeks, making it hard to go about your daily life with ease.
Q2. What Are the Different Types of Mouth Ulcers?
There are several types of mouth ulcers:
- Aphthous ulcers. This type of mouth ulcer occurs when you have an allergic reaction to something you’ve eaten or drunk but isn’t related to infection. These can appear on your tongue, lips, gums and cheeks. They’re usually small, painful and tend to last for a few weeks at a time.
- Herpes simplex virus (HSV). HSV causes cold sores around the mouth and genital herpes in adults and children who suffer from recurrent outbreaks. HSV-1 is the leading cause of oral herpes infections; HSV-2 is much less common but more likely to cause genital infections than HSV-1; the spread of both types can occur through kissing or contact with infected body fluids such as saliva or semen during sex.
Q3. What Causes Mouth Ulcers?
They can be caused as a result of several different things. For instance,
- Viruses and bacteria (such as the herpes simplex virus), allergies, stress, or trauma to the mouth area.
- Vitamin deficiencies can also cause mouth ulcers. Suppose you have a vitamin deficiency in your body. In that case, it can cause problems with your immune system, making it an uphill battle to fight off infections like colds or the flu without getting sick more often than usual.
- Mouth ulcers can be caused by injury as well. Suppose you bite down on a piece of candy that’s too hard and break one of your teeth. In that case, this could lead to an infection that causes an appearance of a painful sore on your gums or inside your cheek when it heals over time!
The most common type of mouth ulcer is called an aphthous ulcer. These are small, round and shallow, with a diameter of less than 1 cm. They can be red or white and can be either painful or painless. Aphthous ulcers are usually not severe but may become infected when you eat or drink something irritating your mouth (such as hot food or citrus fruits). If this happens, it’s essential to see your doctor so they can prescribe treatment for the infection.
Q4. What Are the Foods That Can Trigger Mouth Ulcers?
Certain foods can trigger mouth ulcers. For example, citrus fruits and acidic fruit juices (such as orange juice) can irritate the lining of your mouth and cause an ulcer. Milk is another common culprit. Suppose you’re lactose intolerant and drink milk or eat dairy products with an open sore in your mouth. In that case, it can trigger a reaction leading to a painful tongue ulcer. Coffee, tea, and soda usually won’t cause ulcers—but if you already have one in your mouth or eat caffeine-containing foods such as chocolate or cola nuts (coconut), they may worsen it. The same goes for alcohol: while sipping whiskey won’t necessarily give you a sore throat right away, if there’s already something bothering your throat (like an existing sore), those drinks could aggravate it further. Vitamin deficiencies or injury to the mouth are also some of the reasons for mouth ulcers.
You can get rid of mouth ulcers by using prescription or over-the-counter medications, making dietary changes, or using home remedies.
If you have a painful mouth ulcer, you must visit your doctor. With the proper medical attention, you can get prescribed medications to help with the pain and inflammation. Your doctor might give you antibiotics if a bacterial infection causes the ulcer.
For non-painful mouth ulcers, you should visit your dentist for an exam to see if there’s an underlying cause for them (such as tooth decay). If there isn’t any visible damage to your teeth or gums from the ulcer itself, then it’s likely that the pain is coming from something else, such as acid reflux disease (also known as GERD), which will require medical attention from either a gastroenterologist or general physician depending on how severe it is
You can work with your doctor to eliminate your painful mouth ulcers!
- Work with your doctor to find the best treatment for your mouth ulcers.
- Find out what causes mouth ulcers and avoid them.
- Use over-the-counter medications to treat mouth ulcers.
- Use home remedies to treat mouth ulcers. Mouth ulcer treatments vary in cost, convenience and effectiveness, so you may want to try several methods before deciding on one that works best for you.
- Finally, if nothing else works, see a dentist or doctor about getting prescription medications for painful mouth sores.
Conclusion
While it might seem like the end of the world when you first get a mouth ulcer, there are ways to help relieve your pain. If you notice that they keep coming back or don’t go away after treatment with over-the-counter medications, talk to your doctor about compounding pharmacies where you can access tailor-made medicine that suit your specific needs. Of course, people always begin with natural remedies containing ingredients like honey or lemon juice. And seldom find relief! Opting for prescription medications in treating your condition is beneficial as they are bound to provide long-term relief.
Looking for a pharmacy in the Edmonton area and Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Leduc, Ardrossan, Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, and Beaumont? Rite Choice is your best bet! We offer free home delivery for prescriptions, travel clinics, health care, and compounding services.
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