Have you ever felt a sharp pang of pain at the time of eating or when you accidentally touch an area with your tongue? If yes then you know what mouth ulcers. Though mostly harmless, these are painful areas developing in the inside of the cheeks and mouth. These are extremely sore and make it difficult to drink, eat and even brush the teeth.
Types of Mouth Ulcers
The standard ulcers appear on the inner part of cheeks and last for about a week. Most of these are harmless and clear up by themselves. The top dentist in Middle Village suggests that there are primarily three types of mouth ulcers.
Herpetiform Ulcers (HU): These types of ulcers appear in a cluster or dozens of smaller sores and they appear in the size of pinheads. They resemble the sores of herpes and hence the name. But unlike that disease, Herpetiform Ulcers are not contagious. These ulcers occur very quickly and the condition never seems to get better.
Major Ulcers – These get deeper and bigger with an irregular or raised border. It may take several weeks for healing and can also leave a scar in the mouth.
Minor Ulcers – This type of ulcers can be between the size of 2 mm to 8 mm and can take up to 2 weeks to heal and can also cause minor pain.
Symptoms of Mouth Ulcers
The symptoms are segregated into three parts –
Symptoms of Minor and Major Ulcers
Round lesions appear with red edges and are white, yellow or grey in the middle
One or more painful sores that can appear on the roof of the mouth, on the cheeks as well as in the tongue
Symptoms of HU
Extremely painful ulcers that appear in the mouth
Infections seem continuous as they recur very quickly
Augment in size and they come together to form a large ragged ulcer
Can appear anywhere in the mouth
Can take upto 7-10 days to heal
Symptoms of Severe Mouth Ulcer Attacks
Physical Sluggishness
Fever
Swollen Lymph Nodes
Causes of Mouth Ulcers
The exact causes of mouth ulcers are not known yet and may vary from one person to the other. Still there are a few common factors and causes that can aggravate the condition. Some of them are enlisted below.
Citrus and other types of food that are high in spice and acidity
Quitting smoking
Anxiety or stress
Poor-fitted dentures, braces and other tools or apparatus that can rub against the mouth
Medications that primarily include pain killers and beta-blockers
Hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy and menopause
Genetic factors
Some people may develop ulcers because of nutritional deficiency or different types of medical conditions. These may include deficiency of iron or vitamin B12, Crohn’s Disease or weak immune system. All or any of these can contribute to the formation of ulcers.
Treatment of Mouth Ulcers
There are various ways to treat mouth ulcers. These may range from over-the-counter products to a variety of home remedies. They are enlisted below.
Stay away from spicy food
Drink plenty of water
For temporary relief you can apply ice cube on the ulcers
Rinse the mouth with salt water
Maintain proper dental hygiene
Over-the-counter pain relievers
Apart from the above if the mouth ulcers do no respond to the home treatment or over-the-counter products then the best dentist in Middle Village can prescribe you a topical medication. This comes with a steroid that helps to heal the inflammation.
The above discussion will help to get a better understanding of mouth ulcers so that you can take medical help at the right time and can lead a happy and pain-free life.
