Mouth sores are fairly common ailments that usually afflict adults at least once in their lives. The sores can appear on the roof of the mouth, gums, under or on the tongue. Mouth sores can even crop up in your throat or on your lips.
Some mouth sores are called canker sores, and some sores can signal serious disease, including cancer or infection from the herpes simplex virus.
This article will look at mouth sores, their cause, and how to treat them.
Sores in and Around the Mouth 101
There are a number of different types of mouth and gum sores that can occur and some of them are serious:
- A canker sore is sometimes called a fever blister. They erupt on the outside of the lip and are often tied to other illness like the flu.
- One type of infection of the gums is called gingivostomatitis. It causes painful sores on the insides of your cheeks and gums. We often see this in children.
- Mononucleosis can cause swollen glands, headache, cold sores, fatigue, and body aches.
- You can have mouth sores from a folate deficiency, which is a crucial B vitamin that repairs DNA.
- Thrush is a yeast infection that can grow on your tongue and the inside of your mouth.
- Hand, foot, and mouth disease can cause very painful blisters on the gums, mouth, and tongue.
- Leukoplakia can cause bumps in the mouth that are often linked to smoking.
- Another nasty problem affecting the tongue, cheeks, gums, and lips is oral lichen planus. This is a chronic disease that causes ulcers and tenderness in these areas.
- Celiac disease is linked to ingesting gluten, and some of the chronic symptoms include mouth sores.
Anytime you have a mouth sore that doesn’t heal on its own, it’s time to see your Las Vegas dentist. It’s important that we diagnosis what’s happening and then treat it. If you have sores that are large than one-half inch in size, a rash, fever, or sores that reoccur, it’s time to call us.
Causes of Mouth and Gum Sores
Certainly, serious illness can cause these problems, but if you bite your cheek or tongue or even brush your teeth too hard, you can get a sore. You can even burn your mouth by drinking a beverage that is too hot. Chewing tobacco can cause sores in the mouth, too.
Often mouth sores happen when you’ve ingested too much salt or citrus. You can fix many of these issues with some home remedies such as:
- Gargling with warm salt water.
- Apply a thin paste of baking soda and water.
- Try gargling with a little water and hydrogen peroxide.
- There are also over-the-counter remedies that can help.
If you have any sores around your throat, gums, or in your mouth, don’t hesitate to call us to get a professional opinion. It’s important to rule out serious disease and they offer our patients the best care possible to treat the sores appropriately. Contact us today – we can help.