Painful Mouth Sores

Question:
I have suffered with painful, recurring mouth sores for the past year and a half. They appear as inflamed, coarse white and red patches all over my gums, quite near to the teeth. My doctor and dentist say I just have to put up with them. I have a relatively healthy diet - for a student - but I also suffer with what seem to be cold sores on my lips. They first appeared with a serious bout of tonsillitis and swollen glands six years ago. Please help.
Answer:
Mouth ulcers are round patches of exposed tissue, which are painful if you explore them with your tongue, as people tend to do subconsciously. Spicy food or alcohol can also trigger pain. If you have numerous or large ulcers, eating becomes extremely difficult.
Mouth ulcers have always puzzled physicians. Medically called aphthous ulcers, and also known as canker sores, they look like any ulceration in the mucous membrane but there may be differing underlying causes.
The most common cause is the fungal infection candidiasis. The hallmarks are white patches, which can be wiped off by the tongue or with cotton wool to leave a crater with exposed raw tissue that contains nerve endings and blood vessels. These craters are painful and may bleed. Candida is a form of yeast that has tentacles,
or roots, called hyphae. These penetrate the mucous lining to suck nutrients from the tissue underneath. When enough nutrients have been extracted and the tissue is ulcerous, the candida moves to another healthier area, where it continues to form ulcers.
Antibiotics were originally derived from fungus and their prolonged use promotes fungal infection, such as candida. Broad-spectrum antibiotics has led to a predominance of fungal and viral infections. This is recognized by many conventional doctors.
Deficiencies of vitamin B and severe lack of vitamin C can also lead to mouth ulcers. Other causes include excess stomach acid, chronic constipation, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and stomach ulcers. Certain foodstuffs, such as very hot chillis, pineapples, cloves, yam, ginger and radish, may also produce local irritation to the oral cavity, triggering ulcers. Sometimes people are sensitive to certain drugs or chemicals in toothpaste or mouthwash.

In traditional Indian medicine, mouth ulcers are signs of excess body heat. This is produced, for instance, by eating game, pigeon or red meat which has been cooked slowly for a long time with herbs and spices (chillis, cloves, ginger, garlic, cumin, saffron), as well as excess butter or ghee, almonds and pistachios. The remedy is eating cooling foods such as raw or spring onions, cucumber, yoghurt buttermilk coriander or melon.
I suggest the following
* For about four weeks, eat simple food steamed, grilled, boiled or poached with olive oil, salt" mint, parsley, aniseed, coriander, or spring onions - nothing else. (You may lose a little weight.)
* Avoid all yeast and fungal products (bread, pizza, Marmite, ready-made gravies, some canned products, beer, wine, mushrooms and cheese).
* Avoid citrus or sour fruits (oranges, grapefruit, lemon, pineapple, mangoes, tomatoes, kiwi, rhubarb, vinegar).
* Eat cucumber salad (with yoghurt and spring onions), water melon, carrot juice, cooled fresh mint tea.
* Take kadu: soak two twigs in a cup of hot water overnight; strain and drink in the morning.
* Take vitamin B complex: one daily for two months.
* Take vitamin C: one 500 mg tablet for two months.
* Take acidophilus with bifidus: one every other day for a month.
* Consult a qualified homoeopath. If you are prescribed high-potency homoeopathic remedies your mouth may get worse at first, but it will subside and the condition will be cured.

By Dr Mosaraf Ali 

Mouth Ulcers – Causes and Treatment of Mouth Ulcer

A mouth ulcer is the loss or erosion of part of the delicate tissue that lines the inside of the mouth (mucous membrane). Some of the causes include certain drugs, chemicals and infectious diseases such as herpes or thrush. The most common cause is mechanical injury, such as accidentally biting your cheek. In most cases, mouth ulcers are harmless and resolve by themselves in a few days without the need for medical treatment. Aphthous ulcers are recurring ulcers with no known cause that affect around 20 per cent of the population. Mouth ulcers generally start off with a burning feeling at a specific spot in the mouth. A blister eventually appears at the same spot and turn into a reddish spot or a slight buildup with it's top broken off. It then slowly turns into an open ulcer, that looks like a white oval with a red border (that's the inflammation). The white or yellow color inside is the result of layers of fibrin that form around the ulcer. Sometimes a white circle can also be seen around the lesion (called halo by some people).
Mouth ulcers are very common. Mouth ulcers are painful, annoying and sometimes embarrassing. They are red breaks in the lining of your mouth. The pain is caused by the nerves just below the surface of the lining of the mouth becoming exposed. Luckily most mouth ulcers are easy to treat.
Causes of mouth ulcersThere are many processes which can lead to ulceration of the oral tissues. In some cases they are caused by an overreaction by the body's own immune system.
The tongue, gums or mouth lining can be affected. Crops of these tiny off-white ulcers tend to sprout during times of emotional stress or the menstrual period.
Most common in teens stress related mouth ulcers will heal within a couple of weeks. Prevention is by resolving stress related problems or using stress busting relaxation strategies.

Changes in hormone levels.Some women find that mouth ulcers occur just before their period. In some women, the ulcers only develop after the menopause.
It is not yet fully understood what causes mouth ulcers. They do not appear to be caused by bacteria or viruses and are not infectious or contagious. Genetic studies have shown that a susceptibility to them can be inherited, therefore family members sometimes share the condition.

Treatment of mouth ulcers
The goal of treatment is relief of symptoms. The cause, if known, should be treated. Gentle, thorough oral hygiene may relieve some of the symptoms. Topical (rubbed on) antihistamines, antacids, corticosteroids, or other soothing preparations may be recommended for applying on top of the ulcer. Avoid hot or spicy foods, which often increase the pain of mouth ulcers.
Some people benefit from using the over-the-counter topical gel Bonjela, which contains choline salicylate -- choline salicylate is a local analgesic that helps to reduce the pain and inflammation associated with oral ulcers.
Steroid lozenges may also reduce the pain, and may help ulcers to heal more quickly. By using your tongue you can keep a lozenge in contact with an ulcer until the lozenge dissolves. A steroid lozenge works best the sooner it is started once an ulcer erupts. If used early, it may 'nip it in the bud', and prevent an ulcer from fully erupting.
Rinsing with antiseptic mouthwash or warm salt water may ease the pain. Similarly, take care not to eat anything with sharp edges, such as crisps, as they may scrape against the ulcers causing discomfort and pain.

Corwin Brown