Dom's Mouth Ulcer Page

I have suffered with mouth ulcers for as long as I can remember. They can appear anywhere in the mouth and throat, but, the ones that really do me in are the great big tongue craters.

This web-site has been going since 1999 and there have been many suggestions on the board for treatments and preventatives. Some have worked for me, some have not. I can say quite definitely though, that those things that have worked, have worked very well. I wouldn't go so far as to say I am cured, however ulcers no longer dominate my life, I still get the occasional outbreak mostly insignificant though. I do feel that that should I cease taking appropriate care they would be back again full force.

The things I have listed here as helpful were all brought to my attention on the message board right here, my heartfelt thanks goes out to all those that have contributed to the board, and supported the site over the years.

Things which definitely cause my mouth ulcers:

Oral lesions

Cuts or abrasions in the mouth seem inevitably to become ulcerated. Accidently biting the tongue, lip or cheek can result in horribly large and painful ulcers. Eating sharp foods such as crisps (potato chips) and vigorous muffing are high ulcer-risk activities.

Lack of sleep

Lack of sleep, is a surefire cause of mouthulcers for me.

Stress

Stress obviously reduces the body's resistance to all manner of nasty things, especially the occurrence of mouth ulcers. It seems also to retard the healing process too. By stress I mean real stress : fear, despair, anger, injury, rather than rhetorical stress (such as working hard).

Things which may help to cause my mouth ulcers:

Orange juice, pineapple, tomatoes & vitamin C etc.

Large amounts of fruit juice and vitamin C do seem to produce an increase in the frequency of mouth ulcers, I would guess that it has something to do with acidity. Acidity may play a part in the formation of ulcers, as the mouth is normally alkaline.

Herpes Simplex
(cold sore virus)

I do get cold sores every now and then, so I do have the virus. Some giant ulcers can appear on the inner lip area in a very short space of time, they seem to be more convex than the usual craters - I believe these may have a connection with the virus.

Things which help to prevent my mouth ulcers:

Squigle Toothpaste

Squigle has no SLS in it (or cocamidopropyl betaine), and contains a lot of xylitol. I used to use a normal toothpaste that didn't have SLS in it, but I find Squigle is the best. I use it all the time. I think it takes a few weeks to achieve the full effect. Personally I think this is the best toothpaste in the World, it is the toothpaste by which all toothpastes should be measured. I think this stuff is so the Mouth Ulcers Shop was originally set up specifically to sell Squigle.

Curasept Daily Rinse ADS205

This is my daily mouthwash of choice. It doesn't contain irritants and although the main ingredient is chlorhexidine di-gluconate it tastes nice and doesn't make your teeth go yellow.

Avamin Melts

Bioactive B12. These are little tiny discs which dissolve in the mouth. They contain methylcobalomin which is B12 that the body can use straight away without any overhead on your liver. I seem to have a palpable improvement in my sense of wellbeing when taking these.

L-Lysine

During times of high ulcer risk I take 500 - 1000mg of L-Lysine a day, I think it helps control background viral activity - particularly herpes simplex.

Things which definitely help my ulcers go away, or prevent wounds from becoming ulcerated.

Adcortyl in Orabase
(Kenalog)

Once you have a screaming great crater of an ulcer this helps break the inflammation cycle and helps get healing under way. This steroid is fairly unpleasant, rather like mastic for the mouth, but adheres well to the infected area. Keep a protective film of this stuff on an ulcer for a whole day and it will be going by the next. Applying it at bedtime gives it a good chance to start working, though not altogether pleasant by the morning.
BMS have discontinued production and it is no longer available in the UK.
The active ingredient is triamcinolone acetonide, read more about it here.

Gengigel Gel/Rinse

Prevents lesions from becoming ulcerated. When I first tried Gengigel, I found the results disappointing. One day though, I read the instructions... you are supposed to massage the gel into the ulcer, rather than just putting a blob on it. It is most effective if you catch the ulcer early. I had a sailing accident and badly cut my tongue and inside cheek - I applied Gengigel 3 or 4 times a day and the wounds healed without any ulceration at all. The rinse also seems to help with the horrid dry-mouth feeling.

Curasept Gel

Really helps to calm down an area of inflammation. I have a damn problem wisdom tooth, the area around it can get inflamed and then becomes ulcerated, if I treat the inflammation with this stuff it gets better and doesn't become ulcerated. More effective than the antibiotics from the dentist.

Things which definitely help ease the pain of my ulcers:

Ulcerease

This phenolic mouth rinse doesn't sting at all upon application and provides a welcome relief from the contant pain, the full effect probably lasts about 15 minutes. Welcome relief if you have screaming great craters.
I don't think this is available in the UK at present, sorry to say I can't supply it the moment.

HybenX
(Debacterol, Oralmedic, Galpharm Mouth Ulcer Treatment, Bonjela Once, Boots Mouth Ulcer Treatment).

This is the heavy artillery. If you have an important speech to give or a dinner to attend this stuff cauterizes the ulcer. It is supplied for a number of different brands under license, look for Epien Medical Inc., if you can find this on the pack then it is the right stuff. It is important to apply it correctly and accurately, this dictates how successful the treatment will be. When applied correctly the pain is permanently gone, and thereafter the ulcer should be gone in a few days. It does smart somewhat upon application (this is an understatement). I have found it completely effective when applied to inner-lip and cheek areas - I haven't tried it on gums, and when applied to the tongue I didn't find it as effective, this was probably due to poor application on my part though as it was awkward to get at.

On location, in the jungle, up shit creek, no pharmacy for 1000 miles...

...these may help (a bit):

Salt or Saline Solution

Rinsing with saline does seem to provide a slight soothing effect. What I have found is that with severe ulcers the saline helps to ease the dry-mouth which often accompanies them. In severe cases I'd carry a bottle of saline and an empty one to gob it out into (also, try lo-salt, which is mostly potassium chloride).

Not Brushing your teeth

Sometimes I've rinsed my mouth with saline before going to bed but have not brushed my teeth - and have found that healing seems to start a bit more quickly. I guess slooshing you mouth out with toothpaste and or mouthwash may be like picking a scab off. Certainly rather than brush my teeth with normal toothpaste or use any old mouthwash, I'd sooner not brush at all.

Natural Yoghurt

Natural yoghurt is quite soothing, and maybe the probiotic bacteria helps too.

Daily Regime:

I brush my teeth twice a day with a good sized dollop of Squigle and rinse with Curasept ADS205. Any cuts, bites or abrasions I treat straight away with Gengigel. Should an area of my mouth start to get inflamed I treat it with Curasept220 or the gel. During times of stress or lack of sleep I take 1000mg L-Lysine. Currently taking an Avamin Melt each day too.

I hope this web site helps you to find what works for you.

Dom Walton 23 January 2008