Mouth Ulcers: A Quick Guide to Identification and Treatment
Mouth ulcers are extremely painful and pus-filled sores that develop in the mouth cavity. What causes them, why are they so painful, and how can they be prevented or treated? Read the following article to find out.
A mouth ulcer, professionally termed 'Aphthous Stomatitis,' can grow up to about 8 mm in size. These ulcers start as a slight itch in the mouth but quickly turn into a painful and unbearable sore on the tongue and throughout the mouth, emitting a strong and unpleasant odor. Usually, these ulcers disappear as suddenly as they appear after a period of a week to ten days, but even this short duration can feel 'eternal' for those suffering from these dreadful sores.
In the Western world, mouth ulcers are quite common and may appear not only in the mouth cavity but also on the cheeks as small, white spots.
The causes?
- Poor hygiene
- Trauma such as biting your tongue or lip
- Emotional stress
- Sudden and drastic dietary changes
How to avoid this embarrassing and painful issue of mouth ulcers?
1. Maintain oral hygiene - Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and daily mouthwash to keep your gums healthy and ward off bacteria, which are a common cause of ulcers. If you still get an ulcer, at least check that the toothpaste does not contain SDS, which often worsens the condition.
2. Stick to consistent dietary habits - Rapid and drastic dietary changes or eating foods with high acidity levels (such as tomatoes, olives, and citrus fruits) encourage the development of ulcers. If you already have one, avoid these foods entirely, and also remove coffee and tea from your daily menu as they ferment the ulcer and cause infection (in most cases, the pain is so intense and burning that those suffering from ulcers already know what they can eat or not, but it is important to note that spicy, sour foods, etc., are very harmful during the illness, and should be avoided).
3. Avoid as much as possible from anger, worry, stress, or fear. These mental states encourage the appearance of ulcers and strengthen them.
The treatment
The conventional treatment provided by doctors includes various local anesthetics such as creams, steroids, or hyaluronic acid (found naturally in our body) that add moisture to the ulcer site, slightly easing the pain. However, for children, except for drops given by the family doctor, there is not much to do except wait for the ulcers to go away on their own and make sure the child drinks a lot of fluids (to make up for not being able to eat much).
Alternative medicine offers a variety of natural remedies for treating ulcers, such as extracts of flowers like Rhatany, Propolis, and Aloe Vera, which contain anti-inflammatory components and soothing properties.
