Julian Price

Mouth Ulcers (Canker Sores) Causes, Treatments and Remedies - Is There a Cure?



Posted: Wednesday, April 13, 2011

by Julian Price
http://www.uk-freelance-content-writer.co.uk/

Mouth ulcers or canker sores as they are commonly known in the USA are very common and very painful, but is there a cure and what are the best known treatments and remedies for these annoying and unwelcome ulcers?

Apparently about 10% of the world’s population suffer from mouth ulcers in their varying degrees and although women tend to be more susceptible, they can inflict anybody at any time of life. There is some suggestion that in many cases these canker sores could be hereditary as around 30% to 40% of those that suffer from them, report some kind of family history.

Most mouth ulcers, although often extremely painful, are relatively harmless. Even so, recurring or spreading mouth ulcers should be monitored carefully and a doctor seen if they don’t clear up within a couple of weeks.

I have suffered from these nasty canker sores for the majority of my life adult life (certainly since late teens) and there is definitely some family history to support that particular argument. The ulcers range from mildly annoying to bordering on debilitating. Some of the smaller ones can come and go within a week, whereas some of the larger ones can have a life cycle of a couple of weeks and occasionally longer.

What causes them? There is much debate as to what exactly brings about the onset of an ulcer and the predominant school of thought suggests that an unbalanced diet, especially one lacking in crucial vitamins is one of the main causes. Others believe that stress can encourage canker sores to develop. Having such vast personal experience, I would say that these lines of thinking are probably both correct.

Of course, there are also those frustrating moments where you accidently bite your lip, cheek or tongue and the inevitable ulcer follows.

Treatments and cures: First things first, there is NO absolute cure for mouth ulcers or canker sores. It is usually a case of trying to lessen the symptoms to make them more bearable and to just wait it out!

However, there are plenty of remedies that are said to temporarily ease the associated symptoms, reducing inflammation etc. Before trying any of them, you really should consult your doctor first in case any of them are not suitable for you.

What can you try? Well, there are the things that your doctor will prescribe and things that you can buy over the counter, all of which are aimed at temporary pain relief and reducing inflammation. Pastels, creams, ointments, painkilling tablets are just some, and personally I find them all pretty useless, especially with a larger than average ulcer.

One of my family members swears by bicarbonate of soda but it doesn’t work for me. Other people dab a little salt on the open wound...painful but some claim it helps! I actually find that a nice, hot cup of tea can provide about 20 minutes of pain relief. You may think that’s not really worth the effort, but believe me a few 20 minute breaks from some of those ulcers is sweetness itself!

The only thing that a doctor ever prescribed for me that had a modicum of success was something called corlan pellets. Tiny little pills (that I think had hydrocortisone in them) that you rested against the worst ulcers. I found that the recovery time sped up considerably when using these pellets; however, I was recently informed by my GP that they were no longer available!

How about you? How do you treat your ulcers and canker sores? Do you have a homemade recipe, perhaps, that works wonders or have found something that just soothes them temporarily? Every little helps!

 
Julian has diplomas in freelance journalism (with distinction), copywriting and proofreading. He is also a creative writer and poet who writes both professionally and for pleasure. Julian has written articles for an internet marketing company and although this medium is often restricted by topic, his writing still maintains a unique and often humourous style, with many of his articles achieving good results on search engines. He has found the discipline involved with this kind of work to be a great writing exercise and believes it enhances and improves other areas of his writing. Julian is becoming an established freelance writer and many of his articles here at searchwarp are a showcase of the variety and quality of his work.

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