Understanding Root Canal Procedures

Can My Dentist Treat These Canker Sores?

16 August 2017

Diane Mason

Have you ever taken a bite or sip of something and felt a burning or stinging sensation on your gum, tongue, or inside of your cheek? Chances are that feeling was a canker sore announcing its presence. Canker sores can make eating uncomfortable, and depending on where they're located, they can also be irritating when speaking or even when you're not doing anything. But what are canker sores? What causes them, and how are they treated? Do you need to see your dentist? Take a look at a few things you should know about canker sores.

How Do I Know It's a Canker Sore?

Often, you'll feel a canker sore before you see it – that stinging or burning sensation when you eat or drink or when something in your mouth rubs it the wrong way. When you look inside your mouth, you'll see a round ulcer bordered in red with a white, yellow, or gray center.

Sometimes people confuse cold sores with canker sores, but there's an easy way to tell the difference. Cold sores typically occur on the outside of your mouth – on your lips or the skin around them. Canker sores, on the other hand, typically occur inside the mouth on your gum tissue, your cheek lining, or sometimes your tongue. The two kinds of sores are not related to each other – cold sores are caused by the herpes virus, while canker sores are not.

Canker sores are also not contagious – you won't pass them along by kissing someone or sharing food or drinks. They're also not precancerous or indicative of any other serious illness. Canker sores are irritating, but not dangerous.

What Causes Canker Sores?

As far as the experts know, there isn't one specific cause of canker sores that can be agreed upon. Instead, there are several different things that can trigger one or more canker sores in your mouth. A mouth injury or stress to a specific area in your mouth can be one cause. For example, sometimes canker sores are caused by bruises left by the brackets or wires from braces or from the jagged edge of a broken tooth rubbing the inside of your mouth.

Deficiencies in certain vitamins or nutrients, like B-12 or iron, can also cause canker sores. And while you can get needed vitamins from fruits and vegetables, highly acidic fruits and vegetables, like lemons or tomatoes can sometimes cause canker sores or aggravate existing canker sores. There also seems to be a link between canker sores and a poorly functioning immune system. Young people between the ages of 10 and 20 are the most prone to one type of canker sore, the simple canker sores. Another type of canker sore, the complex canker sore, can occur at any age, but these are more common in adults who had simple canker sores when they were younger.

How are Canker Sores Treated?

Canker sores typically heal on their own, but you can help them heal by protecting them from further aggravation while they heal. Avoid spicy or acidic foods or drinks when you have a canker sore, and rinse your mouth with antiseptic mouthwash to keep the area clean. You can relieve the pain with a topical anesthetic that you can buy over the counter. Your dentist may also be able to give you an ointment that will act as a barrier over the sore, so it can heal more easily.

Good oral hygiene and a healthy diet can help prevent future canker sores. If you wear braces or other dental devices that may be causing the sores, they may need to be adjusted. If you get canker sores frequently, or if you get many sores at once, your dentist may prescribe medication to help control and prevent them.

Make sure to discuss your canker sores with your dentist. A dentist can help you pinpoint what may be causing your canker sores and find out how to treat and prevent them. Discover more on sites like this one.

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