ALL YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT CANKER SORE/MOUTH ULCER : Lake Lanier Smiles, An Affordable Buford Dentist Blog

CANKER SORE / MOUTH ULCERS / APHTHOUS ULCERS

A Simple Guide to understand and treat mouth ulcers

WHAT IS A CANKER SORE/MOUTH ULCER

Also called as Aphthous ulcers occurs exclusively in mouth and appear as a round, shallow whitish sore with red margin. Generally they appear small but sometimes they can be large. Mouth Ulcers can occur on tongue, check, lips and floor of the mouth. They never appear on roof of the mouth or top of the tongue. These mouth ulcers are called “Recurrent Aphthous Ulcers” as they appear again and again through the life until around 30 years of age. Generally before the ulcer is formed you might have symptoms like burning or itching.

FACTS ABOUT APHTHOUS ULCERS

1.     Very Common, about 3 million people suffer in United States

2.     These ulcers are not contagious, mean doesn’t spread from person to person

3.     These ulcers are not caused by bacteria or virus

4.     Self-treatable and usually resolve in 2 weeks

5.     No need for any Lab tests

6.     Doesn’t appear anywhere other than mouth

7.     Family history of the ulcers is common, about 1 in 3 patients  

8.     Generally start around the age of 10-20 years

9.     Generally stop occurrence around 30 years of age

10. Usually occur 2-4 times a year

11. Not common in smokers

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CANKER SORE AND COLD SORE

The most commonly confused ailment with canker sore is cold sore. Below is the simple table with clear differences.

Comparision	CANKER SORE	COLD SORE
Other Names	Aphthous Ulcer	Fever Blister
Causes	Not yet known	Herpes Simplex Virus
Location	Inside the mouth	Outside the Mouth
Appearance	Open white sore with red margin	Reddish, fluid filled blister
Number	Mostly single	Mostly groups
Contagious	No	Yes
Treatment	Alleviate pain only	Alleviate pain only

WHY YOU GET CANKER SORE

We don’t know yet why we get aphthous ulcers hence called “idiopathic”. But there are some predisposing factors which may precipitate or exacerbate the ulcers like

1. Stress

2. Quitting Smoking

3. Trauma

4. Hormonal Changes

5. Food Allergies

6. Toothpaste Ingredients like SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate)

7. Genetic Predisposition

WHAT IS THE TREATMENT

Generally mouth ulcers heal in 10 days to 2 weeks.  No treatment is necessary unless they are very painful. If painful, Can use Orajel or Orabase on the ulcer which will cover the ulcer and help numb temporarily so that patient can eat food. Need to identify the predisposing factors for ulcers and take care of them. Change the toothpaste which might help in preventing future recurrence. Check what foods correlate with the occurrence of ulcers so that you can avoid those food. Avoid spicy foods as they may cause pain. If trauma from an existing appliances like denture or retainer or a broken tooth, see our dentists at Lake Lanier Smiles and we can do the necessary adjustments. Good oral hygiene is necessary to prevent any infections.

In severe cases or extremely painful cases, please call us at 770-831-0559 to see your affordable Buford dentist so that we can prescribe some pain medications, topical steroids and prescription mouth washes.

WHEN TO SEE THE DENTIST FOR SURE

1.     When the symptoms don’t resolve in 2 weeks

2.     When its severely debilitating and painful

3.     When you are running a fever with Ulcers

If you have any questions about your Oral Health or to make an appointment to see us, Call us at 770-831-0559 or visit us at WWW. LAKELANIERSMILES.COM for Valuable Coupons and Specials. Our prices are 30-50 % Off Regular Prices. Call Us before Noon and we will see you the Same Day. We accept most insurances. We are conveniently located just off I-985 at 4965 Lanier Islands Parkway, Suite 105, Buford, Ga- 30418. LAKE LANIER SMILES provides Affordable dental care with outstanding customer service to patients in Buford, Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Cumming, Flowery Branch and surrounding areas.