Mouth ulcers are not life threatening but as a temporary discomfort it has all the trappings to throw your daily routine out of balance. You cannot wish away mouth ulcers once it has set in, but you can prevent flare up and quicken the healing process with right knowledge. Let us therefore go after the knowledge needed to treat mouth ulcers.

Mouth Ulcer or Canker Sores

Mouth ulcer and canker sores are often used interchangeably to describe the same condition even though they are not exactly the same affliction. Mouth ulcers appear on the gums, cheeks, tongue, lips, or even on the roof of your mouth. Most people will experience mouth ulcers at least once across their life span. But, when this is a regular occurrence, it is time to take it more seriously and explore the underlying factors. Often times, poor gut health and poor oral care can lead to frequent mouth ulcers.

When you touch the mouth ulcers it can be instantly painful or irritating and in swollen state, you can accidently bite the affected portion. When mouth ulcer occurs on the gums or cheek, it can be very painful since chances of biting on are more in these regions. The size of mouth ulcers can vary from 1 mm to 1 cm in dia but you should be concerned if the diameter exceeds 1 cm. Usually, mouth ulcers are light yellow in colour at its centre, while the outside is generally bright red with a tinge. The brightness in colour is caused by inflammation and you may also notice that the affected area is swollen.

Importantly, you should never confuse mouth ulcer or canker sores to be mouth cancer except when you have obtained appropriate medical advice to the contrary.

Distinguishing Canker Sores From Mouth Ulcers 

Underlying cause distinguishes mouth ulcer from canker sores and in simple terms a viral infection like oral Herpes or trauma impacting the mouth causes mouth ulcers. Conversely, canker sores are caused by what the medical world calls Aphthous Stomatitis and this condition can trigger repeated instances of canker sores. However, it is often difficult to distinguish between the two and is treated in the same manner. Thankfully Australians now have a convenient and easy mouth ulcer treatment in the form of capsules containing all the beneficial vitamins and other elements offering quick healing.

What Causes Mouth Ulcers Or Canker Sores?

In most cases, mouth ulcers stem from trauma suffered by a part of your mouth and normally do not indicate any underlying health condition. Such trauma can also include.

1. Internal scrapes or cuts in your mouth caused by oral appliances including sleeping appliances, dentures, and braces.

2. Burns caused by foods that are excessively acidic or hot

3. Injuries from tooth grinding

4. Lacerations caused by habitual chewing of pencils, pens or similar objects

Initially, mouth ulcer starts off in the form of bacteria generally from the tooth plaque and transits to damaged areas in the mouth leading to infection. Since mouth ulcers are attributed to infections in your mouth, if you have a compromised immune system you may suffer repeated occurrences of mouth ulcer. Some of the factors that can compromise your immune system are:-

Poor Diet – particularly deficiency in Vitamin C, Vitamin B12 and Iron

Sleep deprivation = Poor sleeping habits and consequent impact on the digestive system

• Autoimmune diseases

• Stress

• Viral infections

• Excessive consumption of alcoholic spirits

• Food intolerances which are not diagnosed

• Smoking

• Oral hygiene

Canker Sores

As we have explained earlier, canker sores result from auto immune condition known as Aphthous Stomatitis. According to the present thinking of the medical world, canker sores are caused by suppressed immune system. Infection stems from contact with foreign bodies like food and bacteria from the environment. Suppressed immune system can trigger infection with greater ease leading to regular occurrence of inflammation and ulceration of the mouth. As of now, there is no known cure for canker sores and the condition does not present any other symptoms. However, there are no long term health concerns associated with canker sores. Some measures to prevent canker sores include-

• Avoiding crunchy, crispy or overly hard food

• Reducing intake of very spicy, sour, sweet drinks or food

• Avoiding fizzy drinks containing carbonic acid

• Avoid hot food (like steaming hot)

• Staying off alcohol at least till your affliction has eased out

• A night guard to protect from teeth grinding

• Using a soft brush so that the bristles don’t hurt you.

• Keeping yourself well hydrated

Treating Mouth Ulcer And Canker Sores

A quick and safe way of treating mouth ulcers is to ensure that there is no constant rubbing or biting down. However, there is always some comfort while eating and talking and therefore you always wish to be done with the problem sooner than later. Whenever feasible take to liquid foods and avoid hard components in your food while following the other steps mentioned above. Avoid using your fingers or tongue to sooth your mouth ulcer since that can only aggravate your condition. While you can use certain anti inflammatory tablets dispensed across the counter to reduce pain and fight infection, you should know the paracetamol does not help.

Rinsing With Warm Salt Water

This home remedy acts as a mild anti-septic. By rinsing with warm water with some salt in it, you can kill the bacteria causing the mouth ulcer with damaging the infected tissues. Rinsing about thrice a day promotes healing while preventing further aggravation.

Rinsing the ulcer out this way two or three times a day will promote healing and stop it from getting any worse.

Conclusion

Mouth ulcer/canker sores are far too distanced from mouth cancer. Similarly mouth ulcers are a bit too common in toddlers, particularly because they tend to explore the Universe through putting various things in their mouth. Giving them some vitamin B12 with vitamin C tablets for a couple of days should provide significant relief to the kids.