Mouth ulcers: causes, cures, opinion and surveys
Do you get mouth ulcers (aka. canker sores, aphthous stomata, oral mucositis)? I do, and I don't like them, they are a curse. I get these great big jobs on my tongue which hurt like damn great hurting things. Sometimes I go for months with none, sometimes I get an odd one or two, and sometimes there are weeks of non-stop affliction, with no tangible reason. Doctor doesn't know what causes them, dentist doesn't know what causes them, I don't know what causes them. I wish they would go away.
Just about everyone has had a mouth ulcer at some time, quite a lot of people though suffer chronic ulceration in their mouths (major aphthous stomatitis, Sutton's disease) and there is not really very much support readily available. The causes are many and varied. If they are caused by an intolerance to something, then I would put these at the top of the list of thing to look out for:
- gluten
- lactose
- sodium lauryl sulphate SLS
Often chronic ulceration is associated with auto-immune disorders such as Behçet's, Crohn's, Lupus, oral lichen planus... the list goes on! Treatments for cancer and other heavy-weigh regimes of medication can also cause them, further adding to the misery of the primary illness.
Since first writing this introduction 13 years ago, I have actually got my ulcers mostly under control, this is the first time since childhood - different things work for different people, the things that work for me were brought to my attention on this very message board. If you are looking for what causes mouth ulcers, a cure for mouth ulcers or treatments, read the messages, look at the surveys, be methodical in your approach. If you are new to the curse though, do please get checked out by a doctor or dentist first to confirm that it is mouth ulcers (canker sores), particularly if you have a persistent pain-free ulcer in the same place.
I wish you good luck in your search, and do be methodical (you can find out what works for me in the Featured Articles section).
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Dom Walton 12th March 2013.