Common Canker Sores: Causes, Cures and Prevention of Mouth Ulcers

Do you have a painful canker sore? If you do, you might be wondering where it came from, why it happened and how you can treat it? Sometimes referred to as fever blisters, canker sores can be embarrassing and painful to deal with. By definition, a canker sore is a painful, open sore in the mouth area. They are typically white or yellow and are surround by red. While canker sores are only mouth ulcers and aren’t cancerous, they can cause great discomfort. Many doctors will refer to them as an Aphthous ulcer.

Symptoms Of Canker Sores

The first symptom many people experience is a tingling or burning sensation. Later, symptoms can include a pain and a red bump that it’s either white or yellow in color. Most often, canker sores are less than 1 cm and some can turn up as a grouping of bumps instead of a single sore. Occasionally, they can be accompanied by fever, malaise or swollen lymph nodes.

Causes Of Canker Sores

Canker sores occur more often in women than in men and often start appearing between the ages of 10 to 40. They can appear as a lesion on the insides of the cheeks, lips, tongue, soft palate or gum base. While there is not one sole reason canker sore appear, there are many things experts know can trigger them. Stress, dietary changes or deficiencies, menstruation, hormonal changes, allergies to foods and viral infections can all trigger a canker sore. In addition, they can occur after someone has dental work done or after a biting of the tongue or cheek. Some experts believe canker sores run in families and could even be hereditary.

Cures And Treatment For Canker Sores

There is no sure-fire cure for canker sores. Most often, a canker sore will heal completely in 1 to 3 weeks, with the pain decreasing in 10 days or less. Most people choose not to treat a canker sore, as they will go away without treatment. However, if you do have one, be sure to steer clear of hot or spicy foods because they can cause you more pain. If you do want to seek treatment or find a natural oral remedy, you can try to gargle with an over-the-counter mouth wash or rinse with warm salt water. Some people choose to use cold Milk of Magnesia and dab it throughout the day onto the lining of the infected area. For addition home treatment, you can choose to mix half Milk of Magnesia and half liquid Benadryl allergy medication together, swish it in your mouth for 1 minute and then spit it out. It will help heal the mucosa areas. Some doctors will prescribe tetracycline medications, but they can lead to thrush or yeast infections.

How To Prevent Canker Sores

While it’s easy to diagnosis a canker sore yourself, at home, it can be tricky to figure out how to prevent them. Most of the time basic hygiene practices like brushing your teeth and flossing can help. However, if you are prone to bothersome canker sores, you should avoid using toothpaste or mouthwash with SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), should avoid chewing gum or using tobacco, should avoid citrus fruits and should not take Iron supplements (unless your doctor prescribes them)