Canker sores – harmless or contagious disease?

If suddenly the glass of orange juice causes burning pain in the mouth and the food causes problems, canker sores may be the cause. This is usually only lentil-sized but extremely painful and causes mucosal lesions. Are the most common mouth ulcers type in adults, but also among children may already be affected.

What are canker sores? Canker sores occur on both the inside cheeks, throat and palate and on the tongue. In 80 to 90 percent of all cases, these are so-called minor aphthous ulcers that are between two and ten millimeters in size. The canker sores initially as greasy white-coated bubbles with red inflamed edge and burst after some time. Then canker sores causes an inflammation of the injured mucosa. It leads to minor aphthous ulcers but only superficial damage the mucosa, and they usually heal in a few days again. In addition, may also occur the significantly rarer major canker sores. Ulcers up to three centimeters penetrate much deeper into the mucosa a, so that the healing process may take several weeks.

Causes, triggers and treatment options of canker sores.

Unlike other diseases of the mouth and throat, such as herpes infections against which one can easily make something, the causes of the development of canker sores are not yet clarified. Causative are viruses and bacteria and also food sensitivities, nutritional deficiencies, impaired immune systems, mechanical stimuli or the combination of factors. Mouth ulcers are not contagious and usually most of its heal by own accord. Therefore, treatment is limited to the relief of symptoms. In this case can help various home remedies such as honey, propolis, cloves or myrrh tincture also with sage and chamomile. In case of very painful canker sores use help local anesthetic gels or creams and disinfecting mouthwashes to prevent secondary bacterial infection.