What are mouth ulcers?
Mouth ulcers are a breach in the continuity of normal mucosa with redness, pain and inflammation. It can occur anywhere in the oral cavity like on mucosa, palate, gingiva, tongue etc. They can be localised with one or two in number or can be present in whole oral cavity. They generally last for 10-15 days.
What are the symptoms associated with mouth ulcers?
- Redness, burning or soreness that may be severe enough to cause difficulty eating or swallowing.
- Slight bleeding if the lesions are rubbed or scraped.
- Cracking and redness at the corners of your mouth.
- Difficulty in speaking and swallowing.
- Loss of taste.
What are the causes of mouth ulcers?
- Trauma,
- Allergies,
- Drug induced,
- Bacterial/fungal/viral infections,
- Nutritional deficiencies,
- Manifestations of other systemic disorders like autoimmune disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, kidney disorders, sexually transmitted diseases
How to treat mouth ulcers?
Most mouth ulcers don’t need treatment. However, if you get mouth ulcers often or they’re extremely painful, a number of treatments can decrease pain and healing time. These include:
- Using a rinse of saltwater
- Using over-the-counter benzocaine (topical anesthetic) products like Orajel
- Applying ice to mouth ulcer
- Using a mouth rinse that contains a steroid to reduce pain and swelling
- Taking nutritional supplements like folic acid, vitamin B-6 and B-12, and zinc
Any mouth ulcer that does not heal in 3 weeks must be investigated to rule out cancer by your dentist.