Mouth ulcers

Almost everyone will experience mouth ulcers at some time in their life. They usually appear as small red or yellow sores on the inside of your mouth, cheeks or under the surface of your tongue.

They are different from cold sores, which are caused by a herpes virus and occur on the outer surface of your lips.

Mouth ulcers are not infectious. However they can be painful especially when consuming foods which are hot, spicy, salty or acidic.

What causes mouth ulcers?

A single mouth ulcer is usually caused by accidental damage to the inside of the mouth - biting your cheek or tongue, brushing teeth too hard or by braces rubbing against the gum.

However, around 20% of people in the UK suffer from recurrent mouth ulcers. Although the exact cause of these are unknown, a number of factors appear to be increase your chances of developing them. These include:

• Anxiety
• Stress
• Accidental damage to the mouth
• Food intolerances – chocolate, coffee, peanuts, strawberries, cheese, tomatoes, wheat
• Family history

Some women are also more likely to develop ulcers during their monthly period.

Mouth ulcers can also be a sign of an underlying medical condition. However, there are usually other symptoms present. Some of these include:

• Vitamin B deficiency
• Iron deficiency
• Coeliac disease
• Crohn’s disease
• Immunodeficiency – e.g. HIV infection

Occasionally, mouth ulcers can be caused by a reaction to a medication.

What you can do about them

Most mouth ulcers heal by themselves. In the early stages, some cancers of the mouth and tongue can look like mouth ulcers, so if they haven’t cleared up within three weeks, you should get them checked by your doctor.

Make sure you use a good quality toothbrush, and change it regularly. Do your best to avoid foods that are hot, spicy or acidic or which require a lot of chewing. If a rough tooth or filling is causing the problem, then a visit to the dentist should deal with it once and for all.

This article was published on Mon 20 December 2010