Lichen planus in the oral cavity: treatment with drugs and folk remedies

In this article, we consider red lichen and methods and means of oral hygiene.

Excessive plaques in humans often affect the oral cavity. The symptoms of this disease prevent a person from eating normally, as painful sensations are caused. Plaques with sores and inflamed areas are located mainly on the mucous membrane. The phenomenon of lichen planus in the oral cavity is most often diagnosed in women. In severe cases, several varieties of the disease can connect at once. Incorrect or untimely treatment of lichen planus in the oral cavity can doom the patient to long suffering. We will talk about how the therapy of this disease is carried out, and what folk methods are used to get rid of it, but first we find out what are the main causes of this pathology in the mouth.

Symptoms of lichen planus

The main symptom is the accumulation of a large number of gray nodules about 2 mm in size. These convex formations are a pattern in the form of a web, mesh or stripes. Interestingly, the gaps between the nodules are not affected by this disease.

Forms

The following forms of lichen planus in the oral cavity are distinguished:

1. Plaque. From the nodules that are located on the back of the tongue, plaques up to 1 cm in size are formed. On the lips you can notice patches of white with scales.
2. Hyperkeratotic. The mucous membrane is covered with solid gray plaques, which coarsen over time.
3. Bubble Small bubbles of various sizes with a diameter of 5-6 mm are located in the mouth. After they burst, sores occur. Damaged areas heal within three days.
4. Exudative-hyperemic. The mucous membrane looks slightly swollen, and a gray-white mesh forms in the mouth.
5. Erosive-ulcerative. The surface of the mucous membrane is covered with sores and fibrous plaque, the symptoms of inflammation appear brighter. Due to significant damage, removal of this form may result in bleeding. Poor treatment, relapses.

Causes of occurrence

Lichen planus is a fairly common skin disease, but the exact causes of such ulcers, erosion and the development of the inflammatory process are still not established. The following factors are the provoking factors of this disease in the oral cavity:

1. The presence of friction of poor-quality prostheses on the mucous membranes of the mouth.
2. Injury of delicate tissue with sharp and uneven edges of the teeth, and, in addition, with any foreign objects.
3. The presence of digestive diseases in humans.
4. This problem often arises against the background of smoking.
5. Eating irritating mucous membranes. Typically, this effect is produced by spicy, salted and smoked dishes.

The main methods of treatment

How can I treat lichen planus in my mouth? In the presence of moderate disease, therapy lasts, as a rule, for two or three weeks. Against the background of lighter or, conversely, extremely neglected forms, the treatment time can be adjusted. So, the main methods of treating this unpleasant disease in the mouth involve the use of the following treatment options:

1. Drug treatment.
2. The use of folk recipes.
3. Appeal to physiotherapeutic procedures.
4. Compliance with a special diet.

Therapy begins with the elimination of the causes that caused the mucosal lesion. Treatment is carried out in parallel with taking medications, and local treatment of plaques and ulcers is also carried out. It is important to note that the treatment of rashes in the mouth is carried out only with the permission of the doctor. The use of incorrect actions often causes the appearance of regular papules, which leads to the development of more severe forms of the disease.

General treatment recommendations

Treatment of lichen planus in the oral cavity involves the following recommendations:

1. Be sure to fill in the carious cavities.
2. Immediately after the removal of pathological rashes on the mucosa and upon completion of the inflammatory process as a whole, it is necessary to replace the prostheses with better ones.
3. It is mandatory to visit the dentist. The doctor should sharpen the sharp corners of the teeth that scratch the delicate mucous membranes.
4. It is also necessary to treat diseases of the digestive system.
5. It is advisable to find out if there is no allergy to hormonal drugs. This is important if a person accepts them. If necessary, you need to limit the daily dose of such drugs, replacing part of them with vitamin E.

Medical treatment

The treatment of such an ailment as lichen planus in the mouth requires the use of special medications. So, the following medications are recommended in this case:

1. It is considered mandatory to use drugs that fight the manifestations of allergies. Taking antihistamines is very important, as they relieve itching, reducing swelling along with irritation. In addition, they perfectly calm the nervous system. Especially effective are the drugs Cetrin, Suprastin, Loratadin, Telfast and Zirtek.
2. Reliably strengthen the immune system will certainly help vitamin therapy. Mandatory is the use of "Retinol", and, in addition, carotenoids. These drugs relieve the inflammatory process, normalizing regeneration. Particularly effective are the drugs Fenoro along with Tigazone, Etretinate and Neotigazone.
3. In the presence of relapse, drugs are prescribed that at the cellular level improve oxygen metabolism. A good effect at the same time gives “Cyto-Mac” and “Actovegin”.
4. Also, in the treatment of lichen planus in the oral cavity, it is recommended that the affected areas be treated with special solutions with anestezin, menthol and citric acid.
5. Sores should be carefully wiped with Solcoseryl. Also, rosehip oil or sea buckthorn is perfect for this.
6. The active effect on increasing the protective function of the immune system is produced by injections of drugs such as Neovir, Interlock and Reaferon.

Product Details

Consider the drug "Neovir" instructions for use, price and reviews.

The tool refers to immunostimulating drugs. It has good antiviral activity against DNA and RNA genomic viruses. It also has antichlamydial action. This is due to the ability to induce the formation of high titers of endogenous interferons in the body. This confirms the instructions for use for the Neovir. According to reviews, its price is quite reasonable. On average, 280 rubles can be given for packing a medicine. People leave positive feedback about him. It helps to quickly deal with the manifestations of red lichen.

It is available in the form of a solution for intramuscular administration; tablets coated with 125 mg are also commercially available.

Many are wondering why "Actovegin" is prescribed?

The drug is widely used in medicine if blood circulation is disturbed, as well as trophic skin integument.

Actovegin effectively treats neurological, endocrine diseases, is used in gynecology in order to preserve pregnancy, as well as to prepare for motherhood, and is used in the treatment of intra-placental disorders in the fetus. It is a natural medicine, rarely causes allergies.

It is also prescribed for better tissue regeneration in case of violations of the integrity of the skin. With it, wounds, ulcers and other skin lesions heal faster, including lichen red. The drug is released in the form of ointment, cream, gel, injections and tablets.

We found out why "Actovegin" is prescribed.

It is important to emphasize that local and systemic treatment will be best supplemented by ultraviolet irradiation of the affected oral mucosa. During this physiotherapeutic procedure, bacteria that have penetrated the oral cavity are destroyed, and at the same time, regenerative processes improve.

For the “Chloroquine" medication, the instructions for use indicate that it is used for malaria, amoebiasis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and porphyria. It is used in the complex treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, as well as photodermatosis.

It also has a mild anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effect.

Instructions for use with Chloroquine are very detailed.

Folk techniques and recipes

Home ointments along with decoctions of herbs and all kinds of healing mixtures will certainly help get rid of such a problem as lichen in the mouth. As part of therapy, drug treatment can be combined with traditional medicine recipes. But be sure to check with your doctor exactly which method is best for treating the identified form of the disease. Effectively rinse your mouth with an infusion of a mixture of herbs.

So, the treatment of pathology with the help of folk remedies is usually carried out as follows:

1. The use of herbal compresses. To do this, prepare a collection of celandine, mullein flowers and willow bark. All ingredients are placed in a thermos and poured with a liter of boiling water. And after an hour the medicine is filtered. Apply the resulting infusion to perform lotions and compresses on the affected areas. Such a procedure is usually carried out several times a day.
2. Calendula treatment for red lichen. In the pharmacy you should buy calendula for the preparation of home infusion. Pour 2 tablespoons of dried flowers of this plant into a glass of boiling water, but fresh ones are best. The resulting healing liquid needs to be moistened with a bandage, which is required to be applied to inflamed areas.
3. The use of ointments from calendula. Take 10 grams of dry inflorescences and chop them, and then add 50 grams of petroleum jelly, which you need to grind well. The finished composition is applied to sore spots.
4. Hot water treatment. Rinse your mouth several times a day with hot boiled water. The duration of one such procedure should be three minutes.
5. Cranberry juice therapy. Three times a day, ready-made compresses are applied to the sore spot, soaked in freshly squeezed cranberry juice. In addition, you can replace this remedy with viburnum juice, and high-quality apple cider vinegar is also quite suitable. The duration of one such procedure should be ten minutes.
6. Sea buckthorn oil therapy. I must say that sea buckthorn oil is an effective anti-inflammatory and wound healing agent. It should be taken on an empty stomach half a spoon. Local treatment of the affected areas is also carried out. It is necessary to lubricate lichen plaques daily with this oily liquid, which has a saturated orange color. You can also make compresses with this oil. The time of one procedure should be forty minutes. It must be emphasized that the sea buckthorn product has the ability to effectively heal any ulcers.
7. To treat lichen planus arising in the mouth, a homemade ointment should be prepared. To do this, use hop cones along with burdock root. Products are crushed and calendula is added, which should also have a grinded appearance. Then pour the ingredients with hot water and cook for five minutes. After this, the medicine must be cooled and filtered. In the end, it remains only to mix the healing liquid with petroleum jelly. The proportions are observed one to two. Treat pathological plaques up to five times a day.
8. The use of collection to strengthen immunity. To prepare it, you will need components in the form of yarrow, juniper, centaury, horsetail and wormwood. All herbs are used in equal amounts. Take two spoons of the resulting collection and brew. Next, you need to let the medicine brew for about seven to eight hours. It is necessary to drink the resulting healing agent daily in the morning for 100 milliliters of decoction. The course of treatment should be three months, then a break is made in two weeks. This is a very useful broth that cleanses the blood, in addition, such a collection reduces inflammatory processes, normalizing the activity of the digestive system.
9. To get rid of flat lichen, you can use another home ointment. To prepare it, grind the yolks of two eggs, and then add 100 grams of fat cream to them. The last ingredient left to add is birch tar. The resulting ointment from red lichen is applied to pathological plaques up to four times a day.

What else does treatment for lichen planus mean?

Dieting

The success of therapy with this disease directly depends on compliance with the rules regarding nutrition. In many patients, the thought of eating can cause panic, because some forms of lichen that have settled in the mouth are extremely painful. Such sores can bleed, itch, and, in addition, they become very inflamed. But without food, of course, there is no way to live, otherwise a person can completely weaken. Therefore, such patients require the preparation of a special diet under the guidance of a doctor. Thanks to a special diet, pain can be minimized, preventing further irritation of the already sick mucosa. The main principles of this diet are the following recommendations:

1. It should be eaten only in pureed form.
2. You need to limit the total amount of salt and sugar in your diet.
3. You should try to eat as little baking as possible. The fact is that from such a product in the stomach, fermentation processes are significantly accelerated.
4. It is recommended to eat mashed potatoes along with soups and jelly. But a very important condition is that it must be warm. Cold exactly, as well as very hot, with such an ailment as flat lichen in the mouth, it is not recommended to eat. Thus, hot tea along with coffee, alcohol or too cold drinks during treatment is strictly prohibited.
5. It is required to refuse spicy, and, in addition, from salted and smoked food.
6. Sour foods should be removed from the menu along with sodas and ice cream.
7. It is advisable to focus on viscous cereals, and, in addition, on low-fat soups, jelly and steam meatballs.

It is important to emphasize that with this disease, immediately after each meal, it is mandatory to rinse your mouth with a decoction of chamomile, or calendula is also suitable. But when rinsing it is necessary to ensure that pieces of herbs do not remain rot in the oral cavity. Next, we find out what preventive measures should be taken so as not to get sick with this ailment.

What preventative measures should be taken?

As part of the prevention of lichen planus, the following recommendations should be followed:

1. It is very important to follow the rules of hygiene in the care of the oral cavity.
2. It is advisable to choose a good toothpaste, which should have an anti-inflammatory effect.
3. It is required to fill carious cavities in a timely manner.
4. Dentures should only be installed with quality materials that do not cause allergic reactions. It is very important to avoid metal structures.
5. It is also required to check the quality of the wizard. Do not wear dentures with uneven surfaces or sharp edges.
6. It is recommended to regularly take vitamins and strengthen the immune system.
7. It is required to minimize the recurrence of chronic diseases.
8. It is equally important to monitor the digestive system. The stomach and intestines must be healthy.

The appearance of plaques in the mouth along with the development of inflammation, discomfort and soreness are the reason for an early visit to a dermatologist. In addition, you may need the help of a dentist, and at the same time, a specialist in dental prosthetics. Taking comprehensive measures will certainly help every person get rid of such a problem as red lichen in the oral cavity.