Oral Ulcers – A Quick Advice

CLINICAL CONTENT WRITTEN & REVIEWED BY CLOVE CLINICAL TEAM

Last Modified: October 5, 2018

FACT CHECKED

Did you ever experience soreness or ulcers in your mouth which really stopped you from enjoying your food? Don’t worry certain observations and precautions can prevent such outcomes.

Oral ulcers are most commonly encountered conditions in our mouth after tooth decay. Women are more prone to developing such recurrent ulcers than men. It is also seen that young adults suffer more frequently than older adults. Studies have shown that about 20% of people get recurring mouth ulcers and over 60% of people will develop a mouth ulcer at least once in their lifetime.

Mouth ulcers are apthous ulcers or canker sores. To our advantage, the usual ones are non-contagious. They usually occur in your mouth when you are undergoing through stress or there are some immunological or hormonal imbalances happening in your body. They usually heal by itself but seek medical advice if they last longer than 3 weeks.

Although, we should be careful from the ones that occur along with fever or body pain or you find bubble like appearances around the corner of your lips. They are usually from viral infections and are usually contagious. Avoid sharing your food and utensils, keeping your hands clean will also help to prevent it spread as they are contagious

Sometimes, when we are chewing we accidentally bite onto our tongue or cheek which often leads to developing of an ulcer in that region. Usually it gets healed by its own but sometimes when there is a sharp tooth in that region which is continuously hurting that region doesn’t allow the ulcers to heal. If you feel that there is a sharp tooth in your mouth and its touching your cheek or tongue visit your dentist at the earliest to get it corrected.

Many mouth ulcers are the result of braces that have just been adjusted or other oral appliances such as a denture that may no longer be fitting properly. A little wax applied to braces can help protect your cheek, while a denture correction or replacing with a new one may help your denture to fit properly again.

Diet rich in vitamin A, E, C and B12, which are natural antioxidants, allowing you to keep your system clean and prevents oral ulcers from occurring. Smoking, areca nut and tobacco chewing should be avoided for obvious reasons. Avoid the use of alcohol-based mouth wash as it can harm your oral tissues more. Few tips may come handy when you develop such ulcers i.e drink plenty of water, avoid spicy foods, apply an ice cube to the ulcer for temporary relief and also over the counter medication may help.

A quick advice, keep checking your mouth for any white patch or ulcer once in a while. No doubt is a bad doubt, always show it to your dentist to get the right advice. If you are looking for the best dental advice to help you manage painful mouth ulcers, look no further than our team at Clove. We’re happy to recommend products and therapies that may help you eliminate canker sores and eat with ease once again.

By:-
Dr. Adhiraj Roy
Clinical Co-ordinator, Clove Dental