Mouth Ulcers
What?
Mouth ulcers are painful sores in the
oral mucous membrane.
They usually have an oval or round
shape and a diameter of three to four millimetres.
·
A mouth ulcer is grey, white or yellow
in colour with a red inflamed edge.
·
They appear on the inside of the cheek,
lips, gums or under the tongue.
·
Mouth ulcers can occur singly or in
groups and usually disappear within one or two weeks.
·
Mouth ulcer slowly recedes and will
disappear within 10-14 days.
·
Pain slightly decreases as the mouth
ulcer(s) gets smaller.
·
In some situations mouth ulcers can
last for several months or keep occurring every two weeks
If the mouth ulcer doesn't disappear
after two weeks, you should visit your doctor or dentist, because this can be a
sign of an impending disease.
Types of mouth ulcer
Mouth
ulcers occur in several forms. They can appear anywhere in the mouth, except
for the hard palate and top of the tongue or lips. There are three main types
of mouth ulcers:
•Minor
•Less then one centimetres in diameter
•May appear singly or in groups
•Heals naturally within 7 to 14 days
•Leaves no scar
•Major
•Greater then one centimetres in diameter
•Appear one or two at a time
•May take several weeks or even months to heal
•May leave a scar after they heal
•Herpetiform
•Irregular shape
•Appear in large numbers or clusters
•Healing process takes two weeks to a month
Recurrent Oral Ulcerations
About
20% of the population suffers from chronic mouth ulcer, called recurrent oral
ulceration or recurrent aphthousstomatisis. This disorder is characterized by
recurring ulcers every week or month.
Causes of mouth
ulcer
The most common causes of mouth ulcer
is a
1. weak
or compromised immune system,
2. mouth
injury
3. stress.
Although the exact cause of mouth
ulcers is unclear, there are a variety of factors that can cause or trigger
mouth ulcers:
· Biting
the inside of your cheek, lip or tongue
· Sharp
or broken tooth
· Poor
oral hygiene
· Spicy
food
· Alcohol
· Some
medicines
· Smoking
· Poorly
fitted dentures
· Using
a toothbrush that is too hard
· Toothpaste
containing sodium lauryl sulphate(SLS)
· Hypersensitivity
to certain foods
· Inherited
· Vitamin
deficiency, especially B-complex
· Low
immunity
· Bacterial
or viral infection
· Hormonal
changes
· Medicines
· Anxiety
· Stress
· Allergy
Prevention
Personal care
· Eat a
healthy varied and well balanced diet of fruit and vegetables
· Drink
plenty of water each day
· Avoid
food or drinks that are hot, spicy or acidic
· Reduce
sweet and sugar consumption
· Limit
alcohol use
· Take
vitamin B-complex and folic acid (especially people with recurrent
mouth ulcer and/or immune deficiency)
Oral hygiene
· Brushing
teeth and floss twice a day
· Regular
dental care/check up's (minimum twice a year)
· Proper
cleaning of the tongue
·
Life style
· Avoid
or reduce stress
· Reduce
or stop smoking
When to Contact a Medical Professional
·
If a sore begins soon
after you start a new medicine.
·
If you notice large white
patches on the roof of your mouth or your tongue (this may be thrush or another
type of infection).
·
If the mouth sore lasts
longer than 2 weeks.
·
If You have a weakened
immune system (for example, from HIV or cancer).
·
If You have other symptoms
like fever, skin rash, drooling, or difficulty swallowing.
If
any of this above mentioned signs and symptoms occurs kindly walk into any of
our nearby PS Dental centre for
the specialist consultations ,proper guidance and treatment at the right time.
Should I have to worry about ulcers?
Most
ulcers heal up on their own. However, if they don't heal within three weeks you
should visit your dentist. Our dental team will be able to examine your mouth
to check that the problem is an ulcer and not something more serious such as
mouth cancer. If you suffer from ulcers that come and go often, you should
visit your dental team to check that there is not an underlying medical cause.
