Monday 7 May 2018

How do we get rid of recurrent mouth ulcers?


Mouth ulcers are a kind of oral health issue which damages the mucosal membrane of the mouth. It appears as red, white or grey in colour and it looks like swollen. Usually, it appears in the lips and at end of gum line. In certain cases, it appears in the cheeks as well as tongue.
This is also termed as canker sores. Few people thinks that it is cold sores but mouth ulcers are different from cold sores. Cold sores are caused by virus and it is generally develops on the outer surface of the lips.
Types of Mouth ulcer (or) Canker Sores
Mouth ulcer is classified as follows:
·        Minor canker sore
·        Major canker sore
·        Herpetiform
Minor canker sore – It is most common and heal within 10 to 14 days. The minor ulcers are commonly appears in lips, tongue and gum lines.

Major canker sore – This type of mouth ulcers injures the membranes more deeper and are larger in size when compared to the minor ulcers. It requires around 6 weeks to heal.

Herpetiform – Similar to minor canker sore, herpetiform also small in size but it appears as a cluster and causes more pain. It will take 2 weeks to heal.

What are the factors causing canker sore?
Mouth ulcers are not contagious. It occurs mainly due to various reasons that cause an abrasive or injure various areas inside our mouth. Some of them are listed as follows:
·        Consuming food items which are highly acidic and citrus
·        Injury caused by improper dental works
·        Poor fitting of dental braces
·        Oral injuries
·        Inflammatory bowel diseases
·        Oral bacteria
·        Abrasive brushing
·        Stress, Anxiety and depression
Besides these, using toothpaste and mouth washes containing large amount of chemical compounds also induce canker sore.
Women are highly affected by this issue because the hormonal changes occurring in the period of menstrauation also causes mouth ulcers. Similarly, younger adults are also have higher chances of affected by mouth ulcer.
Treatment to cure canker sore
The trauma caused by mouth ulcer will heal itself within few weeks. It causes intense pain and discomforts while eating, drinking and even speaking.
In such cases, you can try few homemade remedies with the things available in your home. It will help you to minimise the pain and speed up the healing process.
·        Rinse and swish your mouth with the mixture of salt and water.
·        Gargling with baking soda and saltwater
·        Apply ice cube on the trauma
·        Apply baking soda paste on the canker sores
·        Apply milk of magnesia on the mouth ulcers
·        Get over-the-counter pain relievers (For example, Anbesol) available in Pharmacies.
Prevention measures
There are certain food items and dental health products that are associated with canker sores. By limiting the consumption, it is easy to prevent this dental health complication.
·        Reduce the level of acidic fruits like pineapple, orange, lemon and other spicy food items in your diet menu.
·        Consume food items that are rich in Vitamins A,C and E.
·        Avoid mouth washes containing Sodium Lauryl Sulphate
·        Drink more water to avoid Xerostomia. It is also a reason behind mouth ulcers.
·        Use soft bristle toothbrushes
·        Maintain proper dental hygiene routine to exhaust oral bacteria.
Conclusion
In cases, if you observe that the mouth ulcers do not heal within 3 weeks, consider your dentist. As certain health complications like blood disorders, gastrointestinal diseases use canker sores as symptoms, it is better to consult a dental health specialist if the canker sores last longer than 3 weeks. It will help you to prevent and overcome other health complications in the earlier stage.

No comments:

Post a Comment