Mouth ulcers are small, painful sores that can occur on the inside of your cheeks, lips, or on your gums. They are usually white or yellow in color and can be accompanied by redness and swelling. Mouth ulcers can be painful and make it difficult to eat or drink. According to statistics, its incidence in the population corresponds to about 20%. Mouth ulcers, which are surrounded by an inflamed tissue, heal spontaneously in a short time. However, serious lesions may take up to 1.5 months to heal.

1. What Are The Causes of Mouth Ulcers?

There are many potential causes of mouth ulcers, including: 

• Injury to the mouth, such as from dental work, braces, or accidentally biting the inside of the cheek,
• Situations such as stress, depression, excessive worry and anxiety can also lead to the occurrence of mouth sores.
• Certain medical conditions, such as crohn's disease, celiac disease, and behcet's disease,
• Viral infections, such as HSV 1/2,
• Bacterial infections, such as syphilis or tuberculosis,
• Fungal infections, such as candidiasis or histoplasmosis,
• Autoimmune disorders, such as Behcet's disease, lupus, or Sjögren's syndrome
• Deficiencies in vitamins B12, folic acid, or iron,
• Reactions to medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), beta-blockers, or ACE inhibitors,

2. What Are The Symptoms of Mouth Ulcers?

The symptoms of mouth ulcers can vary depending on the individual, but the most common symptom is a small, painful sore on the inside of the mouth. Other symptoms may include a burning or tingling sensation on the lips, gums, or tongue; redness and swelling around the sore; and a loss of taste in the affected area. In some cases, mouth ulcers can also cause fever, headache, and fatigue.

3. What You Can Do To Help Treat Mouth Ulcers?

There are a few things you can do to help treat mouth ulcers:

• Rinse your mouth with a salt water solution (1/2 teaspoon of salt in a cup of water) a few times a day,
• Gargling your mouth with vinegar helps to heal the wound inside the mouth.
• If you don't like the taste of vinegar, you can also use lemon for gargling.
• A cream prepared from a mixture of water and baking soda can be applied on the lesion,
• Chewing the thyme or cloves without swallowing it. Thyme and cloves not only heals oral wounds, but also prevents the creation of new wounds,
• Avoid spicy, acidic, or hot foods that can irritate the ulcer,
• Apply a topical cream or gel to the ulcer (such as Orabase or Orajel),
• If the problem is due to iron deficiency, eating parsley will help heal wounds,

4. Which Precautions You Can Take To Avoid Mouth Ulcers?

• Avoid consuming acidic, spicy and mouth-irritating foods,
• Eat healthy, consume fruits and vegetables with vitamins that will strengthen your immunity,
• Brush your teeth twice a day, use mouthwash if necessasry,
• You should quit smoking if you are using it,
• You should reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages as they will reduce your immunity,

5. How Long Does It Take For Mouth Ulcers To Go Away?

Mouth ulcers are painful lesions that develop rapidly and can persist for up to 3 weeks. Pomades and antibacterial gels that your doctor will recommend to you accelerate the healing process of canker sores. In addition, if the condition is caused by nutritional deficiencies, some tests may be requested to detect vitamin and mineral deficiency. As a result of the tests, supplementary vitamin support can be recommended. If you have more than 3 attacks a year, a doctor should be consulted to look at the underlying cause.