What To Do About Mouth Ulcers?

Dental health is not limited to your teeth. Sores, ulcers or irritations can develop in and around the mouth. Fortunately, they usually heal on their own within a week or two. 

Mouth sores come in several different varieties and can have any number of causes, including:
- infections from bacteria, viruses or fungus
- irritation from a loose orthodontic wire, a denture that doesn't fit, or a sharp edge from a broken tooth or filling, biting tongue or inside of the cheek.
- the symptom of a disease or deficiency.
- stress or anxiety.
- some medications eg- painkillers.
Get yourself examined if there is any new ulcer or any ulcer lasting longer than 3 weeks.

Are mouth ulcers or sores cancerous?

Mouth cancer and mouth ulcers are distinctive in their symptoms. However, as mentioned earlier, new or persistent ulcers require checking.
There are some fundamental differences between mouth ulcers and what might be cancer:

- mouth ulcers are often painful whereas mouth cancer is not.
- mouth ulcers will clear up in about 2 weeks, whereas mouth cancer will not go away and will often spread.
- mouth cancer patches may be rough, hard, and not easy to scrape off.
- mouth cancer is often a mix of red and white areas or large white areas that appear on the tongue, the back of the mouth, the gums, or on the cheeks.
- mouth cancer is often linked to heavy drinking or tobacco use.

Treatment-

In many cases, the pain and discomfort from mouth ulcers will lessen in a few days and then disappear in about 2 weeks with no need for treatment.
For people with much more painful or frequent recurrence of mouth ulcers, we may prescribe a solution to reduce swelling and lessen pain. Also, we may prescribe an antimicrobial mouthwash or an ointment to be applied directly to the infected patch. This can help to ease discomfort.

There are some situations, however, where a person should see a doctor as soon as possible. Some of these circumstances include:

- the appearance of a non-painful ulcer in one or more areas of the mouth
- unusual ulcers that appear in a new spot in the mouth
- ulcers that are spreading
- ulcers lasting longer than 3 weeks.

Others may want to seek medical attention or treatment for their ulcers if:

- they are particularly painful or big
- a fever appears
- they develop after starting a new medication
- Secondary bacterial infection