Causes and Treatment of Canker Sores

Canker sores are painful and most often occur as small red lesions of the soft tissues of the mouth. The soft tissues include the inside of the lips, the gums, and underneath the tongue. The location, as well as their appearance, can differentiate the lesions from cold sores, or fever blisters, which are usually scabby or crusty and occur on the outer lip. These types of sores are caused by a virus and require a different course of action.

Mouth ulcers can be pinpointed to irritation of the oral mucosa, but the causes of the irritation that results in a canker are diverse and sometimes include diet, underlying disease, bacterial infections, and immune responses and inflammation.

Some basic accepted causes include:
Diet - Abrasive or acidic foods, spices, salt, lack of certain nutrients
Allergies - to food or oral bacteria
Toothpaste - Sodium lauryl sulfate
Bacteria - Heliobacter pylori
Trauma - biting the inside of the mouth

Photo by Thegreenj, 2008

Once you have pinpointed what may be causing the sore, you can prevent it from occurring again. But what to do about that painful sore you're already dealing with? Most will go away on their own in a few weeks. The pain can be alleviated and the healing process sped up by a number of home remedies, including mouth rinses and numbing agents.