Mouth Ulcers : Causes, Symptoms, Treatments and Types

What Is a Mouth Ulcer?

A mouth ulcer is a small, shallow open wound (or sore) in your mouth that can make eating and talking uncomfortable. They’re also known as canker sores. Mouth ulcers are common ailments that affect many people at some point in their lives. It is not a teeth or gum related problem that can be treated with the best Ayurvedic toothpaste or some change in dental routine can cure it.

These ulcers can appear on any of the soft tissues of your mouth, including your lips, cheeks, gums, tongue, and floor and roof of your mouth. You can even develop sores on your esophagus, the tube leading to your stomach.

Mouth ulcers, are usually a minor irritation and last only a week or two. In some cases, however, they can indicate mouth cancer or an infection from a virus, such as herpes simplex.

Mouth Ulcer Types

There are a few types of mouth ulcers:

• Minor Mouth Ulcers. These may show up three or four times a year. They typically happen in people ages 10 to 20. They’re less than 1 centimeter across and heal in about a week with no scarring.

• Major Mouth Ulcers. These are less common. The ulcers are bigger and can last more than 2 weeks. They often heal with scarring.

• Herpetiform Mouth Ulcers. These are rare and show up as clusters of tiny ulcers. They usually heal in about a week.

Mouth Ulcer Symptoms

Ulcers can be painful, and the pain can be made worse by food, drink, and poor oral hygiene.

Herpetiform Ulcers may:

• Appear as extremely painful ulcers in the mouth
• Recur very quickly, so infections seem continuous
• Increase in size, eventually coming together to form a large, ragged ulcer
• Take 10 or more days to heal
• Appear anywhere in the mouth

They tend to be found in more females than males and are more common in older adults.

Symptoms of minor and major ulcers include:

• One or more painful sores that may appear on the cheeks, the roof of the mouth, or the tongue
• The appearance of round spots that have red edges and are yellow, white, or gray in the middle

During more extreme outbreaks of mouth ulcers, some people may experience fever, sluggishness, and swollen glands.

Causes and Risk Factors

Things that might cause Minor Mouth Ulcers include:

• Stress 
• Tissue injury, like from a sharp tooth or a dental appliance
• Certain foods, including citrus or acidic fruits and vegetables (such as lemons, oranges, pineapples, apples, figs, tomatoes, and strawberries)
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen
• An allergy to something in your food or in your toothpaste or mouthwash
• Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that can cause peptic ulcers

Things that might cause Major Mouth Ulcers include:

• An underlying health condition like a weakened immune system, HIV/AIDS
• Nutritional problems like too little vitamin B12, zinc, folic acid, or iron
• Gastrointestinal diseases

About 1 in 5 people gets mouth ulcers regularly. They’re more common in women, possibly because of hormonal differences. They may also run in families.

Mouth Ulcer Treatment

Minor mouth sores often go away naturally within 10 to 14 days, but they can last up to six weeks. Some simple home remedies might help reduce the pain and possibly speed up the healing process. You may want to:

• Avoid hot, spicy, salty, citrus-based, and high-sugar foods
• Avoid tobacco and alcohol
• Gargle with salt water
• Eat ice, ice pops, sherbet, or other cold foods
• Use the best ayurvedic toothpaste that does not trigger ulcers
• Take a pain medication, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol)
• Avoid squeezing or picking at the sores or blisters
• Apply a thin paste of baking soda and water
• Gently dab on a solution that is 1 part hydrogen peroxide and 1 part water
• Ask your pharmacist about other over-the-counter medications, pastes, or mouthwash that may be helpful, like Vithoba Ayurvedic Toothpaste.

Mouth Ulcer Prevention

There is no absolute way to prevent all mouth sores. However, you can take certain steps to avoid getting them. You should try to:

• avoid very hot foods and drinks
• chew slowly
• use a soft toothbrush and practice regular dental hygiene
• see your dentist if any dental hardware or teeth may be irritating your mouth
• decrease stress
• eat a balanced diet
• reduce or eliminate food irritants, such as hot, spicy foods
• take vitamin supplements, especially B vitamins
• drink plenty of water
• don’t smoke or use tobacco
• avoid or limit alcohol consumption
• shade your lips when in the sun

Once you follow these little tips, there would be no reason for mouth ulcers to show up, unannounced, in your mouth.