What Everyone Should Know About Mouth Sores
Nobody Really Knows For Sure Exactly What Causes Mouth Sores
It’s true. One of the great unsolved mysteries of health care in the 21st century is that doctors still don’t know what causes those irritating little ulcers that form inside our mouths. The prevailing theory is that they are somehow caused by stress related to an abnormal response from the immune system. Or else from a viral infection. It is thought that stress, or possibly another sort of trauma, is the signal for a mouth sore to suddenly attack. In other cases, usually those that are much more extreme, mouth sores are thought to be merely a symptom of some other kind of allergic reaction, usually a reaction to food, or a disease such as Lupus or Crohn’s Disease.
You Can Probably Expect Recurring Problems with Mouth Ulcers
Most people who have problems with mouth ulcers have them on a continuing, if not necessarily regular, basis. You will run across precious few people in your life who have ever had just one face-off with mouth ulcers. In addition, most people don’t experience just one ulcer at a time. Chances are if you get one mouth ulcer, you’ll also have to deal with another one before they go away. These multiple sores can be either clustered in a single part of the mouth or scattered all over; some may appear on your gums while others may show up on inside of your cheek.
Mouth Ulcers Can Bring More Than Just Pain
Some, though not all, mouth ulcer sufferers can expect to experience other problems such as fever, fatigue and even swollen lymph nodes. The ulcers themselves may last only a few days, or as long as two weeks and range from very small to large. The larger the mouth sore, the greater the chance that it will leave scarring.
What Should I Avoid If I Have a Mouth Sore?
When you get a mouth sore, and especially if you suffer several that are spread throughout the mouth, there are certain things you can do to ease the suffering. Hot drinks are definitely known to irritate mouth ulcers. It should go without saying that you don’t want to eat potato chips or any other kind of salty snack. Some types of alcohol can make you want to scream at the top of your lungs. Certain people have significant trouble with spicy foods and sauces. Above all, stay away from anything with high levels of acid.
Is There Anything I Can Do To Ease The Pain of Mouth Ulcers?
If drinking makes things particularly unpleasant, try using a straw. To lower the pain quotient involved in eating, simply avoid that kind of food that causes the most discomfort. If at all possible, move to a diet that includes Jell-O, yogurt, rice and, well, pretty much anything that is so bland it would be still be considered too spicy to serve hospital patients.
Medicines and Home Remedies Can Help Ease the Pain, But Won’t Speed Up the Healing.
There are over the counter medications you can take and certain folk remedies that will certainly help ease the pain-gargling warm water mixed with alum is a popular one-but so far nothing has been proven to quicken the healing process and rid your mouth of ulcers any quicker. The unpleasant fact of life is that you’ll just have to wait them out.
Yes, Virginia, You Can Perform-Or Receive-Oral Sex
There is a caveat, however. Since mouth sores aren’t contagious and are not caused by viruses, there is no danger of contracting Herpes. But since any lesion inside the mouth is an open invitation to AIDS or any other kind of STD, you should be 99.9% confident if you are the one with the mouth sore that the person you are performing oral sex on is not HIV positive or has any other STD. Also be aware that these are mouth sores and not cold sores. Cold sores appear outside the mouth and that’s a whole different matter.
