What is ulcer?
Soreness of the mouth that causes too much pain is called as a mouth ulcer. It is a white and grayish pit with red halos and appears shallow causing soreness and burning pain.
Mouth ulcers are also called as Canker Sores. These ulcers usually appear on the tongue, lips, inside the cheeks, even inside the bottom lip and on the gums.
When the ulcer is about to occur you feel burning and tingling sensation in the mouth. They are not ulcer contagious but always tend to recur.
These ulcers may occur one at a time or in clusters. Mouth ulcers generally last for about one week or ten days.
There may be many reasons for the occurrence of the ulcers but some of the types of ulcers are:
Minor ulcers:
These are the most common type of ulcers (aphthous stomatitis) and are caused in 80% of the cases. The healing time for minor ulcers is usually 7– 10 days.
Major ulcers:
Also called as large ulcers, these types of ulcers occur in 10% of the cases of aphthous stomatitis. These are known as major aphthous ulceration. Usually this kind merges with adjacent ulcers and forms a larger ulcer. They are often very painful.
Herpetiform ulcers:
This ulceration is very painful and is formed as a result of an infection with herpes simplex. In this type you notice frequent recurrence of lesions more than minor or major aphthous ulcers.
Mostly women are affected by these in comparison to men. These ulcers occur in clusters of 100 small painful ulcers.
Causes of mouth ulcers:
Some of the causes of mouth ulcers are mentioned below:
Stress
Unhygienic dental conditions
Deficiencies in nutrition’s such as vitamin B12, Vitamin C and iron
Food allergies
Herpes simplex infections in particular
Accidental bites in the mouth and the cheek
Hormonal imbalance
Disease in bowels
Skin disease
Underlying disease conditions
Home remedies for mouth ulcers:
Discussed below are some of the natural and simple home remedies for the treatment of canker sores or burning ulcers.
Coconut milk is a good medicine for ulcers. Extract milk by grating fresh coconut. Now gargle with this coconut milk for about three to four times a day.
Coriander leaves boiled in water are one simple remedy for mouth ulcers. Let the water cool down and gargle lukewarm water for at least 3-4 times a day and notice better results.
Gargle with one glass of cold/ chilled water and one glass of lukewarm water alternatively. This procedure will cure the mouth ulcers effectively.
Take one cup of fenugreek leaves and boil them in two cups of water. Strain the water and keep it aside for sometime by covering it with a lid. Gargle this water twice or thrice daily.
Boil one cup of water and add one teaspoon of coriander seeds in it. After it becomes warn remove it and gargle when the water is slightly warm. Repeat this process 3 to 4 times every day.
Aloevera is an effective natural remedy for mouth ulcers. Take at least two tablespoons of aloe vera gel thrice daily for quick results.
Chewing 5– 6 basil leaves (tulsi leaves) with some water every day will help you in getting rid of mouth ulcers. Repeat this procedure five to six times daily for better results.
Chew five to six pieces of holy basil leaves and drink some water. Do this for at least 5-6 times whenever you get mouth ulcers.
Consuming raw tomatoes helps you in getting rid of mouth ulcers. You can even try gargling with tomato juice three to four times every day.
You can apply the mixture of camphor and sugar candy on the blister. This mixture is made with 7 parts of mishri (sugar candy) and one part of camphor. This is one of the simplest home remedy for curing mouth ulcers.
Apply the mixture of turmeric powder and glycerine. To make the mixture, take one pinch of turmeric and one teaspoon of glycerine.
Take one teaspoon of honey and mix 1/4 teaspoon turmeric to make a paste. Now rub it on the canker sore.
Eat a banana with curd as the first thing in the morning for better results.
One of the proven remedy to cure mouth ulcer is to massage the gums in the mouth with a mixture of honey and coconut oil.
Make a paste of Indian gooseberry and apply it on the sore directly. Repeat this process at least twice a day and notice the quick results.
Make your own antiseptic mouthwash with ten drops of tea tree oil in 1/3 cup of water. Swish this mouthwash for more than 30 seconds and spit it out. This helps you cure the infection and heals the sore.
Dissolve half teaspoon salt in one cup of water to make a salt water mouthwash. Now swish this mouthwash for at least 30 seconds, and then spit it out. Also you can gargle with lukewarm salt water for better results.
Bicarbonate of soda also helps you get rid of these painful sores.