While most mouth ulcers are completely harmless, they are nonetheless irritating even to the most stoic of sufferers. With that in mind, we’ll look at some of the most effective ways of getting rid of your mouth ulcer.

Canker Sores

Along with cold sores, canker sores are easily among the most ubiquitous of the various mouth ulcers that afflict millions of people every year. This is due to the fact that the inside of your mouth is protected from germs and bacteria by a thin layer of mucous that is very easily broken. A canker sore can arise from something as minor as a chipped tooth rubbing against the inside of the cheek, for instance. Fortunately, canker sores heal up fairly quickly considering the fact that they arise so easily. To speed up the process, a rinse with brine or some similar salt and water combination is recommended. This helps to neutralize the bacteria as well as wash out any further viruses. There are also oral gels and analgesics that both numb the pain as well as diminish the size of the canker sore.

While products like Orajel and other medication aimed at canker sores are no doubt effective, they aren’t completely necessary. An antibacterial mouthwash, used twice a day for three days, has been shown to clear up canker sores in a remarkably brief manner as well as ensuring that they don’t make a repeat appearance.

Cold Sores

Though canker sores are annoying and sometimes painful, nothing beats a cold sore when it comes to discomfort and humiliation. Canker sores are at least concealed within in the mouth, as opposed to cold sores which are on full display wherever you go. Typically appearing on the lips, cold sores are actually a form of the herpes virus known as herpes simplex. Don’t feel too embarrassed, though; cold sores actually affect over three fourths of the population and the occasional flare-up is evidence that the virus lays dormant in most of us and can arise at any given time. Unfortunately, this also means that there is little you can do to prevent it. There are some factors that can lead to an increased prevalence in cold sores, though. Becoming sick lowers your immune system and, in effect, allows herpes simplex to spring to life with more ease. This is how cold sores got their name in the first place and maintaining a healthy lifestyle will keep you from becoming sick as often, which will lessen your chance of cold sores. Also, chapped lips are more susceptible to the onset of cold sores, since cracks in dry lips can allow more viruses and bacteria to enter.

Once a cold sore has arisen you will basically have to let it run its course. You can shorten its duration by applying a special oral topical cream that is meant for cold sores, but it is recommended that you don’t put anything else on the cold sore that isn’t specifically made for herpes simplex. Aside from exacerbating the condition, you could spread the virus to other people and other items. The cold sore will probably last a bit over a week but, with an over the counter or prescription medication, you can bring the length down a few days.

© 2009, Mouth Ulcers Cause. Copyright All rights reserved.

Related posts:

1. What To Do When You Have a Mouth Ulcer Anybody who has suffered through a canker sore knows full...
2. What Are Mouth Ulcers? Mouth ulcers, or oral ulcers, cover a wide variety of...
3. How to Prevent Mouth Ulcers Mouth ulcers are more than just annoying. Some of them...
4. The Most Common Kinds of Mouth Ulcers Mouth ulcers, in one form or another, affect all of...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

This entry was posted on at and is filed under Remedies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.