Prevention Of Canker Sores (Cold Sores)

Canker sores often return, but you may be able to reduce their frequency by addressing factors that seem to trigger them:

Watch what you eat. Try to avoid foods that seem to irritate your mouth. They may be nuts, chips, pretzels, certain spices, salty foods and acidic fruits such as pineapple, grapefruit and orange. Be sure to avoid all foods to which you are sensitive or allergic.

Choose healthy foods. To avoid nutritional deficiencies, eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Eating regular yogurt that contains acidophilus or other beneficial bacteria may also help prevent ulcers.

Do not chew and talk at the same time. Doing so may cause minor trauma to the delicate lining of the mouth.

Follow good habits of oral hygiene. Regular brushing after meals and flossing once a day can keep your mouth clean and free of food that can trigger a nerve. Use a soft brush to help prevent irritation to delicate tissues of the mouth, and avoid toothpastes and mouth rinses containing sodium lauryl sulfate.

Protect your mouth. If you have braces or other dental appliances, ask your dentist about orthodontic waxes to cover sharp edges.

Treatment Of Canker Sores (Cold Sores)

Treatment is usually not necessary for minor canker sores, which tend to disappear by themselves within a week or two. However, significant damage and persistent or unusual pain often need medical attention. A number of treatment options exist, ranging from mouth rinses and topical ointments to systemic corticosteroids for severe cases.

Mouthwashes. If you have a number of canker sores, your doctor may prescribe a mouthwash that contains the steroid dexamethasone to reduce pain and inflammation. Oral suspensions of the antibiotic tetracycline may reduce pain and reduce healing time, but tetracycline has drawbacks. You can make it more susceptible to oral candidiasis, a fungal infection that causes painful mouth lesions, and can discolor the permanent teeth of children.

Paste current. Over-the-counter and prescription pastes with active ingredients such as benzocaine (Orabase), amlexanox (Aphthasol) and fluocinonide (Lidex, Vanos), can relieve pain and speed healing if applied to individual lesions as they appear. Benzocaine has been associated with rare but serious, sometimes fatal, condition that reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood can carry. Do not use benzocaine children under 2 years without the supervision of a healthcare provider, because this age group is more. If you are an adult, never use more than the recommended dose of benzocaine, and to consider with your doctor.

Oral medications. Drugs for cancer treatment not specifically painful, such as heartburn medication cimetidine (Tagamet) and colchicine, which is usually used to treat gout, may be useful for canker sores. Medicines for oral use steroids are sometimes prescribed when severe canker sores do not respond to other treatments. But because the side effects of steroids are serious, are generally considered the treatment of last resort.

Debacterol. This topical solution was specifically designed to treat canker sores and gum problems. Chemically cauterizing lesions, reducing the healing time of about a week.

Nutritional supplements. Your doctor may prescribe a nutritional supplement if you consume small amounts of important nutrients such as folate (folic acid), vitamin B-6, vitamin B12 and zinc.

Other factors. If your canker sores seem to be related to a serious health problem, the doctor will treat the underlying condition.

Symptoms Of Canker Sores (Cold Sores)

Most canker sores are round or oval with a white or yellow center and red border. Form inside the mouth - on or under the tongue, inner cheeks or lips, and at the base of the gums. You may notice a tingling or burning a day or two before the sores actually appear.

There are several types of mouth ulcers, including minors, major injuries and Herpetiformis.

Persist

These wounds most common cancers:

Is less than about 1 / 2 inches or 12 millimeters (mm) in diameter

Are oval

They heal without scarring in one or two weeks

Canker more

These wounds were less frequent

Are greater than about 1 / 2 inch or 12 mm in diameter

Have jagged edges

It may take up to six weeks to heal and scar extended

Ulcers herpetiformis

These ulcers, which usually develop later in life:

Are each no larger than about 1 / 8 inch or 3 mm in diameter

Often occurs in groups of 10-100 ulcers

They have jagged edges

They heal without scarring in one or two weeks

Other signs

Sometimes you may experience other symptoms, as well as tumors, such as:

Fever

Languor

Swollen lymph nodes

When to seek medical advice

Contact your doctor if you experience:

Ulcers exceptionally high

Recurrent ulcers, the new growth to heal old

Persistent sores, lasting three weeks or more

Ulcers that extend to the lips (the border Vermilion)

The pain you can not control carefully the measures of self-

Extremely difficult to eat or drink

High fever with aphthae

See your dentist if you have a sharp surface of the teeth or dental appliances that seem to trigger the sores.

Causes Of Canker Sores (Cold Sores)

The exact cause of canker sores remains unclear, although researchers suspect that several factors contribute to the outbreak, although a single individual. These factors include:

Minor injuries to the mouth of dentures, overzealous brushing, sports injuries, spicy foods or acidic, or accidental cheek bite

Food sensitivities, especially for chocolate, coffee, strawberries, eggs, nuts, cheese and highly acidic foods like pineapple

Food Allergies

A diet deficient in vitamin B-12, zinc, folate (folic acid) and iron

An allergic reaction to certain bacteria in the mouth

Helicobacter pylori, the same bacteria that causes peptic ulcers

Celiac disease, a severe intestinal disease caused by sensitivity to gluten, a protein found in most grains

Inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

Behçet's Disease, a rare disease that causes inflammation in the body including the mouth

A faulty immune system that attacks healthy cells in the mouth instead of pathogens such as viruses and bacteria

HIV / AIDS that suppress the immune system

Hormonal changes during menstruation

Emotional stress

Toothpastes and mouth rinses containing sodium lauryl

Unlike cold sores, canker sores are not associated with herpes viral infections.

Canker Sores (Cold Sores) Overview

Canker sores, also called aphthous ulcers, are small superficial lesions that develop on the soft tissues of the mouth and the base of your gums. Unlike cold sores, canker sores do not occur on the surface of your lips and is not contagious. They can be very painful, however, and can make eating and speaking difficult.

Most canker sores go away by themselves within a week or two. Consult your doctor or dentist if you have mouth ulcers or unusually large or painful ulcers that do not seem to heal.