Oral ulcers that never get better may be a warning sign of a serious illness! These "folk remedies" are useless!

If we talk about minor illnesses that are not fatal but can still cause death, oral ulcers would definitely be at the top of the list.

Oral ulcer is just a small wound the size of a grain of rice on the inside of the mouth, but the pain it brings can definitely defeat any strong person.

No matter what you are doing, it will pop up to make its presence felt. For example, eating, drinking, brushing teeth, it will hurt you so much that you will tear up if you are not careful. The worst thing is that even breathing and talking may cause pain because of the involvement of the mouth muscles. The pain is not very severe, but the aftertaste is long and lingers for a long time.

01

Mouth ulcers

What's going on?

First of all, we need to understand why we get oral ulcers. At present, there is no clear cause of oral ulcers, and it is generally believed to be related to the decline of human immunity.

Therefore, when we always work overtime, have irregular work and rest schedules, and are under great stress, which leads to a decrease in immunity, oral ulcers will appear quietly, making things worse and adding fuel to the fire.

In addition, wounds in the mouth caused by improper brushing, friction from hard food, accidental biting when chewing, and friction from orthodontic appliances may also turn into oral ulcers.

In addition to these common factors, vitamin deficiency, food allergies, bacterial or viral infections, improper use of toothpaste, menstrual hormone levels and many other factors may cause oral ulcers.

In general, the causes of oral ulcers are rather complex and cannot be generalized.

If it only occurs occasionally, there is usually no need to worry, but if it occurs frequently and does not get better over the long term, you need to consider whether there are some problems with the immune system.

02

If you have mouth ulcers

How should we treat it?

In fact, oral ulcers are a self-limiting disease. Even if we do not take any action, they will recover on their own within 1 to 2 weeks. However, this recovery time is actually quite long, enough to make people feel miserable.

If you don't want to endure it for so long, you can take some oral ulcer products that are antibacterial, pain-relieving or promote healing.

But in general, their effects cannot cure the disease, but they can only help you shorten the process and reduce the pain during the process. For example, some gel products and ulcer patches can isolate the wound from the outside world and reduce the growth of bacteria.

Not only that, some products also add some soothing ingredients, and the pain will gradually ease after use. Some mouthwashes can help you clean your mouth, reduce the growth of bacteria in your mouth, and also help promote the healing of oral ulcers.

As for the popular saying of taking vitamins, it is actually not very effective after oral ulcers occur. Taking enough vitamin C and vitamin B from food can prevent the occurrence of oral ulcers, but if oral ulcers have already grown, then the effect is not great .

As for folk remedies like drinking lemon juice, they are even more undesirable . First of all, there is not much vitamin C in lemons. Secondly, if you are already in pain and then drink the extremely sour lemon juice, it is definitely like rubbing salt into the wound.

In addition, during the period of oral ulcer, you should try to reduce stimulation to the ulcer site to avoid further expansion of the ulcer.

For example, during this period, you should not challenge your limits by eating foods that are too spicy, salty, or sour.

In addition, some foods that require a lot of chewing or are relatively hard should be put aside for the time being! When brushing your teeth, be sure not to move too much to avoid causing secondary damage to the wound. If the bristles of the toothbrush itself are relatively hard, you can soften them slightly during this special period and choose a brush with softer bristles.

Finally, of course, don't forget to adjust your work and rest schedule to solve the problem at its root. Otherwise, the ulcer will grow back like spring grass in the spring breeze.

In addition, not all oral ulcers are harmless minor problems. If the oral ulcer does not heal after the self-limiting period, or the ulcer surface is large, the pain is obvious, or it occurs frequently in a short period of time, you still need to consider going to the hospital for examination.

In addition, if oral ulcers are accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, headache, rash, etc., you also need to be vigilant.

For example, patients with Crohn's disease, AIDS, Behcet's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus and other diseases often suffer from oral ulcers.

Author: Hydra

Popular Science Author Review: Rong Wensheng Chief Physician, Department of Prevention, Peking University Stomatological Hospital