Dental hygiene tips for healthy teeth & gums
A mouth ulcer is an open and infected area on the tongue, inner cheek, or gum. They can be minor or major, and the manifestations depend on the type of ulcer present. They are typically a pale pink or very light yellow, and the skin around them is typically red and swollen. Although they typically do not require medical treatment, they could be painful and last for about a week or two. Eating food and beverages or brushing teeth can be uncomfortable and even painful.
Mouth ulcers occur mainly on the inner side of lips and cheeks but may also involve the tongue and gums. They are red, slightly raised, round, or oval welts. They may be horizontal or vertical and can expand in dimension before escaping from the view. It involves an erosion of the mouth lining, producing stinging pain, especially when eating, drinking, or even brushing your teeth, depending on where the mouth ulcer is located.
There are many different types of mouth ulcers, including:
Oral ulcers are often recognizable and should not be much of a problem to diagnose. They occur primarily on the gum, tongue, inner cheek, inner lips, or under the roof of the mouth.
You can only be diagnosed with a single ulcer, or there could be many of them. Other symptoms could include:
You should see a dentist if these situations worsen with time. Rio Bravo Dentist NM is the best in town for testing Ulcers.
Mouth ulcers are most commonly seen when some mucosal culture eliciting or the mucous membrane of the oral cavity is injured and cannot heal. These are referred to as ‘traumatic ulcers.’ Common causes include:
Some mouth ulcers are caused by underlying issues, like:
Sometimes, mouth ulcers are minor and can be treated at home without seeing the dentist or general practitioner. Usually, they recovered on their own.
Consult a pharmacist if you have a mouth ulcer and find it painful or uncomfortable. The dentist may suggest a protective paste for your teeth or a pain-relieving gel to help with your sore mouth.
Your pharmacist may also suggest over-the-counter mouthwashes and lozenges that you can use. None of the above can treat your ulcer, but it gives you some comfort to manage it while it is healing.
Most of the methods to manage a mouth ulcer are non-medical and include:
It has been discovered that regular and proper cleaning of the mouth by brushing and flossing the teeth may reduce the chances of developing mouth ulcers.
Mouth ulcers have no known cure and are common in the mouth for an individual’s entire life.
While getting an ulcer is sometimes unavoidable, there are preventive measures that people can take to minimize the severity or the frequency of occurrence of ulcers.
Some prevention methods include:
Fortunately, mouth ulcers usually do not require any treatment, and the pain usually subsides within 2-3 days. Some ointments and solutions for pains and swelling are not necessarily needed for a person to recover from the ailment. People should try not to get stressed and anxious as much as possible to avoid such a situation in the future. If you are anxious and want to visit a dentist, then Rio Bravo Dental will greatly help.