Mouth Ulcers- Causes and Treatment

Suffering from mouth ulcers ( aphthous ulcers ) can be very painful and uncomfortable.Minor,Major and Herpetiform are the three main types of ulcers.

Herpetiform

Five to ten percent of mouth ulcers are Herpetiform ulcers, recognised as pinhead sized sores,numbering anything between 5 and a hundred which can sometimes fuse together forming a rough shaped larger sore which tends to be extremely painful.

Major

Major ulcers are usually 1cm or more in size with a raised surface which are quite deep and can lead to some scarring. These ulcers can take several weeks to heal and make up about ten percent of ulcers overall.

Minor

Finally, Minor ulcers, which account for eighty percent of all ulcers are very small and clear up normally within one to two weeks and leave no visible scarring.

Causes

First of all it must be made clear that mouth ulcers cannot be passed from one person to another by for example, kissing or using maybe cutlery or drinking vessels after someone with mouth ulcers had used them. The cause of the outbreak of ulcers can normally be attributed to some sort of damage to the inside of the mouth caused by a variety of reasons,such as,tooth brushing,sharp foodstuffs or maybe even a broken tooth, stress can also contribute to ulcers.

If ulcers become a recurring problem then this could be caused by any number of different reasons such as, allergic reactions to things such as certain medications,vitamin deficiency,stress and hormonal changes and indeed a family history can account for around forty percent of sufferers.

Treatment

In most cases, mouth ulcers if only minor cases will heal up quite quickly without the need for any special treatment but there are a number of ways that can speed the healing process. Try to avoid

putting sharp and rough foods in your mouth, take extra care when brushing teeth, reduce stress levels whenever possible. If caused by a broken or damaged tooth, book yourself in to see the dentist. If symptoms persist there are a number of useful products to help with pain and inflammation available at your local pharmacy or visit your GP who will be able to prescribe the right medication.

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