If you have a mouth sore, it is most likely a canker sore. About 20% of Canadians have a canker sore at any given time. A canker sore can develop on your tongue, the inside of your mouth or the base of your gums. Canker sores usually are white in colour with a red border.
Canker sores are common for people between 10-40 years of age, and occur most commonly for women. Canker sores aren’t contagious but can be hereditary. If you have a canker sore, you may feel burning or tingling around the area with the canker sore. You may experience pain as well, especially if you have crunchy, hot or spicy food.
Canker sores look similar to cold sores but they aren’t the same. The main difference between a canker sore and a herpes simplex sore (cold sore) is that canker sores are found inside your mouth and cold sores are found on the external part of your lips.
What Causes Canker Sores?
There is no concrete cause for canker sores, although professions have established several reasons why a canker sore may develop. Canker sores usually develop around tissue that has already been damaged before-hand, either through biting the inside of your mouth, irritation from braces, or from brushing or flossing too hard and damaging your gum tissue.
Other factors that could contribute to a canker sore developing are stress, nutrition, or a weak immune system.
Treatment Options for Canker Sores
There is no miracle cure for canker sores, but there are a number of treatment options available to reduce any pain or irritation. A home remedy that is often recommended is rinsing your mouth with warm salt water. There are also a number of gels and rinses that are available for canker sores at your local pharmacy or drug store.
If you think your canker sore is a result of stress and/or malnutrition, then use relaxation techniques to reduce your stress and make sure you are getting all the nutrition you need. If you have braces that are irritating your gums or the inside of your cheek where you have the canker sore, then remove the source of the irritation or talk to your health professional.
Your canker sore should disappear after 14 days and very rarely leaves a scar. If you have recurring canker sores, visit your dentist as it may mean that you are deprived of essential vitamins or have an underlying health problem.
If you have any questions or have a recurring canker sore, visit a 123Dentist.com location today!
