Treating Canker Sores

Are you one of the many people who suffer from canker sores? Here is some information on those pesky mouth sores, and tips on how to get relief…

You may be thinking, what exactly are canker sores and why do we get them? A canker sore is a painful ulcer with a red border and white or yellow center that forms inside the mouth. Canker sores can be found on the inside of you cheeks, lips and also on your tongue. Unlike cold sores, canker sores cannot be spread to other people.

The cause of canker sores isn’t really known, but it has been said that it can be hereditary. Other reasons a canker sore may form include:

·         Stress

·         Mouth injuries like biting your tongue, cheek or lip

·         Braces

·         Eating acidic or citrus foods and drinks

Women and younger adults tend to get them more often but most people at some point in time can get a canker sore. Some people get them regularly and have suffered from them since childhood. Some canker sores can hurt up to a week to ten days and can take up to six weeks to fully heal. People can have more than one at a time, and it could become extremely difficult to talk or eat in some cases.

There are several things you can do to treat a canker sore if you have one, including eating soft foods, using salt-water rinses, and using over-the-counter medications. Each of these treatments help reduce the pain. However, by far the most effective treatment – one that doesn’t just help to reduce the pain, but that eliminates the canker sore entirely – is the laser. With our dental laser, we can remove the canker sore in just a matter of minutes, without any pain whatsoever. At Lakeshore Family Dentistry, you can come in whenever you have time to get that pesky sore removed, or, if you have an appointment scheduled, wait until then. Either way, you can rest assured knowing that instant relief is just a phone call away.

Since canker sore causes are unknown, prevention can be a little more difficult, but there are some tips that might help, such as…Use a soft toothbrush and avoid biting the inside of your mouth.

To learn more about canker sores and tips to help treat them, visit http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/canker-sores-topic-overview?page=2