Different Causes Of Mouth Ulcers And Their Treatment Protocol

“Mouth ulcers” or “Oral Ulcers” are the open sores inside the mouth due to break in the continuity of the mucus membrane that lines the inside of the mouth. They are extremely common. They cause a lot of discomfort or pain. They occur either singly or in clusters.

Factors Causing Mouth Ulcers:

• Accidental biting of the cheek
• Injury from a toothbrush (such as slipping while brushing)
• Constant rubbing against misaligned or sharp teeth or dentures or braces
• Due to very hot and spicy food
• Irritation from strong chemicals in toothpastes, mouth washes etc. For example Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), one of the main ingredients in most toothpastes, has been implicated in causing oral ulcers in certain people
• Due to viral, fungal or bacterial infections like in tuberculosis, chicken pox, syphilis, oral thrush etc.
• Due to allergy
• Dietary deficiency like deficiency of Vitamin B, C etc
• In immunodeficiency syndromes like AIDS, Diabetes Mellitus
• In oral cancers

Treatment Options:

The best treatment for curing oral ulcers is to remove their cause. However the pain can be reduced by avoiding spicy foods, doing gargles with warm saline water, keeping the mouth clean. There are also sprays or ointments available to reduce the pain. They usually heal with in 7- 10 days if the problem still persists or the pain is unbearable then consult the dentist.

General causes of Oral Malodor/ Bad Breath/ Halitosis and treatment options available

“Oral Malodor” or “Breath Odor” or “Bad Breath” is a very common among dental problems. In daily routine we dentists got many questions  regarding this unpleasant condition as it is a source of embarrassment for the sufferer. On an average, it is estimated to affect 50 to 65% of the population. 

Causes Of Oral Malodor:

Technically it is called as “Halitosis”. Halitosis (Oral Malodor) occurs due to excessive volatile sulphur compounds (thiols) production. There may be a number of reasons behind this condition those can be related to our bad habits, oral health or systemic health. some of the common reasons for bad breath are as follows:

• poor oral hygiene- many people don't brush properly. In our daily busy life we have very less time for cleaning our teeth. In clinics, we find lots of deposits around teeth in these kind of patients.
• due to some dental problem- in patients with grossly decayed tooth Halitosis is commonly seen.
• smoking- the level of bad odor in smokers depends on the intake frequency of tobacco products and how much hygiene they adopts.
• consumption of food containing volatile sulfur compounds (onion, garlic etc)- when we take these type of food products, we suffer from momentarily Halitosis. 
• due to dry mouth-Dry mouth can occur due to many systemic problems and in these patients Halitosis is noted.
• due to some other illness like kidney problem, diabetes etc 

Treatment Options:

First rule out the reason behind the problem and then cure it. Visit your nearby dentist so that they can have a good examination of your mouth and can notify to you of any dental problem if present. they can then suggest you to some general physician if they suspect any underlying systemic problem causing you bad breath.

On a precaution note, you can apply certain ways to be free of halitosis like

• Regular brush your teeth twice daily. 
• Use mouth washes containing chlorhexidine which neutralize sulphur compounds.
• Cleanse your tongue.
• Drink a lot of water to avoid drying of mouth.
• Avoid tobacco.