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It's a miserable feeling to discover a painful sore perching on your lip. And it looks so unappetizing! No amount of clever makeup can hide it. It’s not a serious affliction. But it’s important to know if you're being plagued by a canker sore or a cold sore.
Let's learn more about mouth sores and discover why it's necessary to know if you have a cold sore or a canker sore.
Canker sores are a type of mouth sores. They appear as little oval, round, or elongated yellowish or white spots surrounded by a red edge. The medical term for canker sores is ‘aphthous ulcers’. The termaphthous originates from the Greek word for ulcer: aphtha.
Mouth ulcers are common and harmless. They are not contagious and despite their name, they are not cancerous. They generally appear on the lips, the inside of the cheeks, on the tongue, under the tongue, and the soft palate. But most appear on the tongue.
Aphthous ulcers are tiny, mostly ranging from 1 – 5 mm in diameter. You can get multiple mouth ulcers simultaneously. They can appear as separate ulcers or joined together. Mouth ulcers are painful and can make talking and eating difficult.
In most cases, mouth ulcers are harmless and resolve in 10 to 14 days without treatment. They tend to reappear though, often soon after being healed.
Researchers have identified three kinds of mouth ulcers: minor, major, and herpetiform.
These are the most common mouth ulcers, responsible for 70-85% of all cases. They tend to be small, measuring less than 1cm in diameter, resolve in 10 to 14 days, and don't leave scars.
Major mouth ulcers are less common, responsible for 7-20% of cases. They are larger and deeper, leave scars, and can take months to resolve.
These are very rare, representing only 5-10% of cases. These mouth sores can form a large ulcer consisting of multiple pinprick-size lesions, giving the ulcer an uneven surface. These also resolve within a week or two and can leave scars.
If you keep getting mouth sores, or they take long to heal, they may be a symptom of a serious underlying condition, such as leukemia, HIV, or an autoimmune disease such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or Behcet's disease.
Researchers commonly refer to recurring canker sores as recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS).
A canker sore often starts as a painful spot 6 to 24 hours before the ulcer appears. The ulcer itself is usually small, yellow, or white with a red edge that looks inflamed. The short-lived disease can appear as a single sore or in clusters.
They can appear inside the mouth, on or inside the lips, the tongue, the inner cheeks, under the tongue, and on the roof of the mouth.
Canker sores can be very painful and worsen when you eat and food touches them. They can also get worse after eating certain foods, such as spicy foods or acidic fruits like pineapple.
In severe cases, individuals can develop a fever, swollen lymph nodes, and fatigue.
The cause of canker sores is unknown. A direct cause has not been established but certain factors have been identified that cantrigger mouth sores, including:
Factors that might lead to complex canker sores include:
The following acidic fruit may also be a risk factor for some people:
It is a characteristic of aphthous ulcers that they keep coming back. Doctors are not sure what the precise cause of these ulcers is, nor why they keep recurring.
They think some people might havea genetic predisposition to the condition, as up to 46% of people have a family history of the condition.
No, canker sores are not contagious, but cold sores are contagious.
But what makes them different?
The cause of canker sores is unknown; cold sores are caused by a virus,herpes simplex type 1. For this reason, cold sores are very contagious. So, if you have a mouth sore, make sure you know what type it is, otherwise your kiss might give someone a nasty surprise!
Canker sores usually go away without treatment in a week or two. You can get over-the-counter medications to treat your symptoms.
If you have a severe, very painful case, your doctor may prescribe:
Research has shown a relationship between canker sores and a deficiency infolic acid, zinc, vitamin B12, and iron.
Lots of foods contain folic acid, so it's easy to get enough into your diet.
Zinc is an essential mineral for your immune system. Because it reduces inflammation and helps with wound healing, include these foods zinc-containing foods in your diet:
Also Read: Shocking Signs of B12 deficiency? Tips on How to Fix It!
Since iron supplements cause problems for many people, including constipation, nausea, stomach discomfort, diarrhea, and heartburn, it's best to include it naturally in your diet. Here is a list of foods that contain iron.
You can also ensure that you absorb enough iron by cooking in cast iron pots. The following foods are high in iron:
Eating these foods won't heal your mouth sores, but they will build your immune system so the sores don't come back soon. While you have mouth sores and they are painful, prepare your food in such a way that it is easy to swallow and not too hot.
Until your sores are healed focus on soft, bland foods like mashed potatoes, creamy oats, cream soups, eggs, and yogurt.
It’s common sense to avoid eating hot or spicy foods as they’ll aggravate the pain in mouth sores. So, you’ll likely try to limit or avoid these foods.
But a good idea is to also reduce acidic foods and beverages such as:
Canker sores usually go away on their own, but there is a lot you can do to help the process along.
This is a simple go-to home remedy for mouth ailments. It reduces bacteria and inflammation, promoting healing. It may be painful initially, but the discomfort goes away quickly.
Dissolve 1 teaspoon salt in half a cup of warm water. Swirl the solution around in your mouth for a while and spit it out. You can do this several times a day.
Baking soda also makes an effective mouth rinse. It neutralizes acids and reduces inflammation. Dissolve 1 teaspoon baking soda in half a cup of warm water. Swirl the solution around in your mouth for a while and spit it out. You can do this several times a day.
Some people use half salt and half baking soda in half a cup of warm water.
Alum powder has antiseptic astringent properties that can help reduce inflammation. However, you must dilute alum powder properly in water, as it can cause irritation if the concentration is too high.
Dilute half a teaspoon of alum powder in a cup of warm water to make the rinse. Use only once or twice a day.
Milk of magnesia can ease the discomfort associated with mouth sores by creating a protective barrier over the sores, which helps reduce pain and irritation from acidic foods and beverages.
You can apply a small amount of milk of magnesia directly to your canker sore. Leave it there for a few seconds and rinse off. You can repeat this three times a day.
Honey has a wide variety of active compounds, including flavonoids, phenolic acid, organic acids, enzymes, and vitamins - all these help prevent bacterial growth and also improve wound healing.
Honey is a safe natural substance that can protect the area around the ulcer against infection and help ulcers heal quicker. Apply honey to the ulcer four times a day.
Be sure to obtain raw honey which contains the highest percentage of healing nutrients.
Coconut oil contains lauric acid which has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Research has shown the high amount of lauric acid in coconut oil can help reduce bacteria, thereby, preventing secondary infections that might slow down the healing process of mouth ulcers. Coconut oil promotes healing by reducing microbial load and inflammation.
Simply apply coconut oil to the sore several times a day.
Zinc is an essential mineral for optimal health. It is responsible for many functions, including immune function, cell division, and wound healing.
So if your mouth ulcers are associated with a weakened immune system, then zinc supplements may help.
Canker sores may arise if your diet is low in vitamin B12. Research has shown vitamin B12 supplements asan effective treatment for canker sores with study participants reporting fewer incidences of canker sores and reduced pain.
The researchers found that vitamin B12 can be beneficial for mouth ulcers, regardless of whether a patient has a vitamin B12 deficiency or not.
Another study found a clear relationship betweenrecurrent aphthous ulcers and a deficiency of vitamin B12.
Fiber is crucial for overall health, but it is not a treatment for mouth sores. However, a well-balanced diet with plenty of vegetables, legumes, and fruit can provide ample fiber which supports the immune system and promotes oral health.
If your canker sores cause a great deal of pain, grow larger, become infected, and don't heal within two weeks you should consult a doctor. Also, consult your doctor if you develop a fever.
The exact cause of mouth ulcers has not been established. However, experts have noted that people with frequent mouth ulcers do have vitamin deficiencies, particularly folic acid, and vitamin B12 deficiencies.
Eating a well-balanced diet rich in all macro- and micronutrients is your only defense against the development of canker sores.
It is not guaranteed that this strategy will protect you against canker sores if you tend to get them. But you will have a strong immune system to ensure you recover quickly when they do occur.
Canker sores are a common type of mouth ulcer, affecting around 10-20% of the population. Medical experts are not sure why people get canker sores. Canker sores are painful, but they are not contagious and usually heal on their own within a week or two. Canker sores tend to come back after a while.
Because it is not known why mouth sores occur, scientists have not been able to develop a treatment to prevent or get rid of them. There are, however, medications and home remedies that can help with the symptoms.