Mouth ulcers: causes and treatment

Mouth ulcers in people can occur for many different reasons, their occurrence is not only related to dental problems. They cause pain and discomfort to a person, making eating difficult. In order to eliminate these unpleasant phenomena, ulcers must be treated. In this case, it is extremely important to correctly determine the cause of the onset of the ailment. Effective treatment is required in combination with systemic therapy of the underlying disease. In this article, we learn about the causes of ulcers, and also find out how they should be treated.

Aphthous stomatitis

The defeat of the mucous membrane, and in addition, the soft tissues in the mouth, which is accompanied by the formation of mouth ulcers (in adults and children) of various sizes, is associated with a number of local pathologies and injuries. The appearance of recurrent aphthous stomatitis manifests itself in the form of small ulcerations of the mucosa, which periodically arise and are characterized by soreness. The following manifestations are typical for aphthous stomatitis:

• Externally, mouth ulcers are rounded and have a diameter of up to seven millimeters, without sagging edges, the affected areas are surrounded by a yellow effusion and a red rim.
• Ulcers on the mucous membrane of the lips or cheeks are localized, and in addition, on the transitional fold, on the tongue and its bridle, on a hard or soft palate.
• Risk factors include disruption of the digestive system along with colitis and gastritis. In addition, stress can provoke a relapse in combination with nervous disorders, a mechanical microtrauma of the mucosa. In women, menstruation can be the cause.
• Against the background of the favorable course of the disease, the ulcers heal in a week. With more severe forms, a large area can be affected, due to which the healing process will be extended for a month. Relapses are often noted in the winter-spring season, it happens that there are no periods of remission at all. Permanent injuries can cause small ulcers to become large.

Herpetiform stomatitis

Against the background of herpetiform stomatitis, sores develop small, but numerous and resemble herpetic lesions of the mucosa.

In this case, the disease has the following manifestations:

• Externally, mouth ulcers do not have clear boundaries, they have a gray base, they are covered in the center with a white film.
• They are localized at the bottom of the oral cavity and the lower surface of the tongue.
• Risk factors mainly include young people under thirty years of age, as well as women with reduced immunity.
• As a rule, the healing of white mouth ulcers occurs without scarring in ten days.

Fungal stomatitis

What is this ailment? Similar ulcers, which are covered with a white film, can form in children against the background of fungal stomatitis. Ulcers in the oral cavity appear with recurrent periadenitis and have a specific form. This disease is characterized by the formation of seals under the mucous membrane, which after some time can be replaced by deep painful ulcers that prevent a person from eating or talking. In this case, the disease has the following manifestations:

• Externally, ulcers have densified raised edges, the recess of which is filled with infiltrate. The size of each ulcer does not exceed one centimeter.
• Ulcers on the lateral surfaces of the tongue, lips and cheek mucosa are localized.
• Most often, this type of disease is found among women. Sometimes it can form due to complications of the fibrinous form of aphthous stomatitis.
• The disease is long and undulating. Ulcers may not heal for months, forming deforming scars. Relapses can last for years, and at least two aphthae are constantly present in the mouth, and during periods of exacerbation their total number can reach ten.

What are other causes of mouth ulcers (some photos are given in this article)?

Afta of Bednar

What do they look like? This type of pathology is traumatic erosion of the mucosa. In this case, the disease has the following manifestations:

• Externally, mouth ulcers are covered with a persistent yellow coating. Affected areas have rounded ulcerations with clear boundaries. The tissues are slightly hyperemic.
• Ulcers in the sky are located closer to the midline.
• Risk factors include babies. Ulcers form due to mechanical trauma to the palate or poor oral hygiene. Less commonly, this occurs in older children. In premature babies, as well as in those who have pathologies, this phenomenon is observed more often.
• The healing of mouth ulcers is slow, can last for several months, and in case of an unfavorable course, deeper lesions may form at the site of erosion.

Traumatic ulcers

How to distinguish them from other types of ulcers? Injuries to the oral cavity often lead to the development of stomatitis, and their causes are quite diverse, in particular:

• The result of a bite of the mucosa with teeth.
• Damage to the surface with a hard toothbrush.
• Injury through dental instruments.
• The presence of low-quality fillings, crowns, prostheses.
• Damage to the sharp edges of decaying teeth.
• The effects of thermal or chemical burns along with exposure to acids, alkali, certain medications, and the like.

Features of traumatic ulcers

Traumatic ulcers are quite painful and have their own characteristics:

• Externally, the ulcers are small in size, along with an irregular shape, a yellowish coating, raised edges and swelling of the surrounding tissues.
• Ulcers are localized depending on the location of the injury. Mostly they appear on the mucous membrane of the lips or cheeks, and in addition, on the tongue.
• Among the risk factors should be called an incorrect bite along with premature teething, the presence of untreated areas in the mouth and bad habits, for example, regular biting of the mucous membrane.
• In the event that the traumatic factor is eliminated, ulcers, as a rule, heal quickly enough in just ten days. Exacerbation of inflammation and the development of soreness due to the penetration of infection are not excluded.

Ulcers as a manifestation of common ailments

In addition to local pathologies, stomatitis and other diseases of the mucosa, mouth ulcers are typical of a number of common infectious diseases, some of which affect mainly adults, while others, on the contrary, are characteristic of childhood.

Wounds of the oral mucosa can form against the background of pulmonary tuberculosis. The tuberculous tubercles that appeared in the mouth are very soon replaced by ulcers, which differ in the following characteristic features:

• Ulcers are superficial and gradually increasing in diameter.
• Ulcers have a friable bottom and uneven edges.
• Very often they can bleed.
• The presence of soreness.

Tuberculosis and syphilis

At the same time, other symptoms that are characteristic of tuberculosis, for example, exhaustion along with fatigue, fever, sweating and plaque on the tongue, can also be observed in parallel. The formation of ulcers in the oral cavity is accompanied by syphilis. Against the background of this disease, they appear almost immediately after the end of the incubation period. Mouth ulcers on the background of primary syphilis have the following features:

• Lack of soreness.
• Ulcers are round or oval.
• The bottom of the affected areas is bright red, sometimes with a gray coating, while the edges of the ulcers are even and slightly raised.
• The specific infiltrate.
• Such ulcers heal from three weeks to several months; scarring may not always occur.

In the presence of tertiary syphilis, the ulcers often bleed, are slightly painful, the infiltrate is quite powerful and dense, the affected areas heal longer with the formation of star-shaped scars.

Necrotic gingivostomatitis

Acute gingivostomatitis is a disease of a viral nature, usually this pathology develops against the background of a decrease in immunity, and in addition, due to overwork, hypothermia and due to injuries of the oral mucosa. Also, this ailment can be a complication of other viral infections. Most often, gingivostomatitis occurs in men up to thirty years of age.

The disease is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• The appearance of swelling, soreness and bleeding of the mucous membrane.
• Blurred gum epithelium, the appearance of a yellow plaque on the edge.
• The formation of ulcers with uneven edges, and in addition, a loose bleeding bottom. As a rule, ulcers are covered with an easily removable plaque of a greenish color.
• The presence of halitosis.
• An increase in body temperature, excessive salivation.

Mouth sores in a child

Many infectious diseases that are characteristic of childhood can be accompanied by ulceration of the oral mucosa. Herpes, as a rule, first affects children aged one to three years. In this case, the appearance of numerous papules is characterized, after the breakthrough of which red sores form, which heal in a couple of weeks.

With chickenpox in the mouth in children, rashes in the form of pink dots can form, which later turn into swelling filled with liquid. A rash on the oral mucosa in the form of small white dots that are surrounded by a red border is characteristic of the catarrhal stage of measles.

Against the background of scarlet fever, rashes in the mouth are red. With diphtheria of the pharynx, in addition to the formation of ulcers on the mucosa, its redness with swelling can be observed, a gray coating also appears. Any rashes that occur in the mouth can lead to the formation of deep ulcers. How to treat mouth ulcers?

Therapy of these pathologies

In the event that the defeat of the oral mucosa was caused by any infectious disease, then it is first of all necessary to treat this disease. In parallel, it will not be amiss to carry out symptomatic local therapy of ulcers using drugs, and in addition, recipes from traditional medicine.

Effectively treating mouth ulcers with folk methods.

Treatment with folk remedies

First of all, you should pay attention to rinsing. For these purposes, the following formulations are suitable:

• Five tablets of Furacilin are diluted into two glasses of boiling water, then a teaspoon of soda and salt is added.
• The use of decoctions and infusions from such medicinal plants as chamomile, oak bark, calendula, eucalyptus, walnut leaves, coriander seeds and so on.
• Using alcohol tincture of calendula.
• The juice of carrots, parsley and cabbage is diluted in half with water.

It is important to note that rinsing your mouth is recommended with warm solutions. This should be done as often as possible, spitting liquid every half minute and gaining a new portion.

In addition, you can lubricate the affected area with the following means:

• Soda paste with added water. The product should have a creamy consistency.
• Sour cream with garlic or onion.
• Grated potatoes. You can also just apply small slices of root vegetables.
• Refined glycerin paste in combination with turmeric powder.
• Sea buckthorn oil.

It is recommended, in addition, to drink more fruit juices, refusing carbonated drinks. It is also useful to chew basil leaves. In the event that treatment with alternative methods does not give a tangible result, you need to see a doctor to clarify the diagnosis and get the necessary treatment.

Of course, treating mouth ulcers is not limited to this.

The use of medicines

Drug treatment for ulcers can be local or systemic. Doctors often prescribe mouthwashes with antiseptics. The following tools are used for this:

• The use of sodium bicarbonate solution.
• Cauterization with hydrogen peroxide and a solution of "Furacilin." Caution should be used for these purposes, green.
• A solution of "Dexamethasone", "Lidocaine."
• Use of swabs that are saturated with vitamin B12.
• Pills "Nystatin."
• The appointment of antihistamines, and in addition, desensitizing drugs. In the presence of severe pain, pain medications are prescribed.

Thus, ulcers that are caused by an infectious disease must be treated. The procedure for the treatment of stomatitis, and in addition, erosion and ulcers in the oral cavity is a protracted process that requires the fulfillment of all the doctor's prescriptions.

We examined the causes and treatment of mouth ulcers.