Mouth Ulcers

Have you ever been woken up in the morning by a burning or throbbing pain in back of your mouth or on the tip of your tongue? Have you ever bit into a piece of fruit only to experience a severe stinging sensation? Have you ever had so much pain in your mouth that it becomes difficult to speak? If so, it could be that you have a mouth ulcer.

Mouth ulcers, also known as canker sores, apthous ulcers, oral ulcers, apthous stomatitis or just plain old cold sores, are open sores in the mucous membrane of the mouth. They may start as very small, unnoticeable bumps but can quickly break open and cause painful, long lasting infections. Mouth ulcers can be present in virtually every part of the mouth including the inner cheek, lip, soft palate and even way back in the throat.

Mouth ulcers come in many different varieties and can be the result of numerous things. Mouth ulcers for instance, may have been caused by biting on a piece of food wrong causing an accidental tearing through the tender skin in the mouth. Mouth ulcers may be the results of having taken certain medications or even be caused by wholly natural foods like rye, wheat and barley. Mouth ulcers may come from different types of chemical trauma experienced at some point. Sometimes mouth ulcers are caused by an overreaction of the body’s own immune system due to the presence of a virus, certain types of bacteria or forms of fungus.

If a mouth ulcer is viral, it is most likely caused by the herpes simplex virus. Herpes simplex is an extremely common virus. In fact many people are carriers of the virus and they don’t even know it. Mouth ulcers that are bacterial in origination are probably caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis) or treponema pallidum (psyphillis). Mouth ulcers that are fungal probably originate from coccidioides immitis (valley fever), blastomyces dermatitidis (North American blastomycosis) or cryptococcus neoformans (cryptococcosisi).

In worse conditions unfortunately, mouth ulcers may be cancerous or an indication that someone is suffering from an immunodeficiency syndrome such as HIV. In these cases, curing a mouth ulcer may require the use of strong antibiotics or a specifically formulated course of treatment under the supervision of a doctor. Prevention of mouth ulcers can be as simple as keeping your mouth as clean as possible with bacteria fighting mouthwash or eating a restricted diet low in sugars and starches (as bacteria thrive on this). If mouth ulcers persist, making an appointment with your dentist may be the best course of action for treatment.

Oral Health | Gum Infections | Mouth Ulcers | Oral Hygienist