A canker sore is only found on the inside of your mouth, lip, or cheek. Occasionaly it may pop up on the outside of gums, but this is rare. It is red in color and will have a white covering. Don't confuse a canker sore with a fever blister or cold sore, which is on the outside of your lips. Unlike a cold sore, which is a virus, a canker sore is strictly a bacterial infection.
Who is most prone to getting them? Teenagers and women in their 20's are more likely to have them than any other group. Doctors are unsure on why canker sores come about, but it is believed the main reasons are from stress, poor eating habits, and even womens menstrual cycles.
What Do You Do If You Find Yourself With A Canker Sore?
Canker sores will usually go away on their own in less than a week without any kind of treatment. Of course, during this time it can be painful when eating, drinking, or brushing your teeth. It seems like when anything touches one, the pain can send you through the roof. If the pain is really beginning to bother you, you can apply over the counter medicines to it such as Oragel, Anbesol, or a number of other brands of canker sore cures. In addition, there are a number of wonderful all natural cures. Some people say that taking several Vitamin-C tablets, or Zinc tablets, is a canker sore cure, but this is not scientific fact.
Do I Need To See A Doctor For A Canker Sore?
The short answer is no. Unless it lasts more than 14 days, or it becomes difficult to eat or swallow, there really isn't a reason to go to the doctors office. If for some reason you develop a fever or feel ill because of it, then you should also see a doctor.
What Medicine Works For A Canker Sore?
There are some prescription medications available that your doctor can prescribe in helping to cure a canker sore. Medicines such as Peridex, Aphthasol, and Tetracycline can help. In any event, if it becomes too painful, or just won't heal, speak with your doctor about prescribing you some relief.
How Can I Prevent Canker Sores?
As mentioned above, nothing has been developed to prevent a canker sore from forming. There are a few tips to help as much as possible though. Avoid toothpastes with SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate). Floss your teeth. Add lots of water to your daily diet. Only eat spicy foods on an occasional basis. Chewing gum can help also. While there may be no canker sore cure, you can do a few things to prevent them from coming back.
1. They are recurrent, painful, superficial oral ulcers that persist 8 to 14 days;
2. They are associated with a tender regional lymphadenopathv (swelling of lymph nodes in the head and neck area);
3. They heal spontaneously, usually without sequelae in healthy patients.
The causes and the course of the disease:
Several theories about the cause of recurrent aphthous ulcers have been proposed; they include psychic, allergic, microbial, endocrine, hereditary, and autoimmune mechanisms. Many dentists also find mechanical trauma play a role in the precipitation of these ulcers.
A study reported patients, who were challenged with certain foods, begins their ulcers. No causative effect was found on tomatoes, strawberries, or walnuts. Hay and Reade (1984) reported the results of their study clearly showed that some food ingredients contributed to the cause of some cases of recurrent aphthous ulcers.
The inheritance of recurrent aphthous ulcers was studied by Miller et al. (1980). Their results showed the incidence of the disease in children was significantly higher when RAUs were present in one or both parents. Another study reported that recurrent aphthous ulcers occurred more commonly in patients from higher socioeconomic groups.
Studies about the stress-related vitamin B12 and folate levels in recurrent aphthous ulcers have yielded conflicting results. Some found several RAU patients with decreased folate levels; others failed to find signilicantly lower serum levels of yitamin B12 or folate in RAU patients.
Currently it seems likely that the recurrent aphthous ulcers develop because of several different mechanisms. Studies showing shifts in immune balance are many. Ferguson et al. (1981) reported the highest incidence occurred in menstruating women.
The clinical features:
The recurrent aphthous ulcers, in the usual course of events, appear, regress, and heal within 4 to 10 clays. The patients are requested not to brush their teeth in the affected area until the lesions have completely disappeared.
However, in rare cases, the lesions may appear without remission for as long as 2 or 3 months. In these cases the patient has reported the lesions are constantly present but have shifted location during the disease. Necrotic tissue and uncharacteristic ulceration are usually present in these cases. Instead of forming on the oral mucosa, the lesions characteristically occur on the attached gingiva. Typically, the lesions usually disappear within 2 weeks after starting a regimen of tetracycline mouthwash, which wipes out the superimposed bacterial infection and allows healing.
The differential diagnosis:
The dentists will need to distinguish between recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU) and intraoral recurrent herpes simplex (IRHS) ulcers in most cases. Herpangina and hand-foot-mouth disease are two other conditions that must be differentiated.
The recommended treatment:
Most of recurrent aphthous ulcers resolve in 8 to 14 days without treatment. However, our Houston dentist recommends these:
1. Tetracycline mouthwash (an oral suspension of uncoated Achromycin crystals 250 mg/tsp in 5 ml water) to be flushed over the affected region for at least 2 minutes.
2. After cleaning the affected area with the tetracycline mouthwash, the ulcer is applied with a thick laver of triamcinolone acetonide in emollient dental paste (Kenalog in Orabase) after meals and before bed. Alternatively, aloe vera leaves may also be used.
3. Oral and topical analgesics are administered if necessary.
Our Houston dentist found the above treatment regimen gives satisfactory results. Other dentists reported that ulcer duration was shortened with chlorhexidine mouthwash. Recently, a new hvdroxypropyl cellulose material (Zilactin) has been proposed for the treatment. In addition, various topical steroids have been promoted, but their benefits have not been consistent.
Both Terry Edwards & Minh Nguyen, D.d.s. are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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Minh Nguyen, D.d.s. has sinced written about articles on various topics from Food and Drink, Dental Surgery and Bad Breath. For information, visit . SoftDental (. Minh Nguyen, D.d.s.'s top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.