For people who suffer from chronic mouth ulcers, figuring out what triggers outbreaks can be difficult.  What can cause mouth ulcers? Often times, there appears to be no rhyme or reason to mouth ulcer outbreaks.  Many people can go for months at a time without a single sore, only to be suddenly stricken by numerous cankers or other sores for no apparent reason.  While some mouth ulcer causes are obvious, such as trauma, more often than not, they seem to appear of their own volition and for no reason at all.  The fact of the matter is that there are a plethora of chemicals, foods and illnesses that can cause mouth ulcers.  The trick is to understand what has the potential to trigger a mouth ulcer, and then to narrow down potential culprits until you have defined your personal trigger(s).

Among the most common known causes of mouth sores is toothpaste.  While seemingly innocuous, your average toothpaste actually has the potential to damage your mucus membrane and contribute to mouth ulcers.  While most people do not associate a product that is intended to be used in the mouth with mouth sores, the fact is that numerous studies have demonstrated the correlation between mouth ulcers and a common toothpaste ingredient, sodium lauryl sulfate.  If you suffer from chronic or recurring mouth ulcer outbreaks, switching to sodium lauryl sulfate free toothpaste can markedly reduce the frequency and/or severity of your mouth ulcer occurrences.

Another common product that can cause mouth sores is artificial sweetener.  Many people consume large amounts of sugarless gum and diet cola.  Pretty much all of these products contain aspartame or other forms of synthetic sugar.  These chemicals have a reputation for causing and/or contributing to the development of mouth ulcers.  While many people find it difficult to stop consuming these products, if you have determined that they are the trigger of your mouth sores, simply cutting them from your diet can be all it takes to promote the healing of current ulcers and to prevent new ones from forming.

Finally, if you have an intolerance to gluten (and many people do), there are several studies to indicate that gluten exposure can actually cause or contribute to mouth ulcers.  While this is not universally agreed upon, it is something to take into consideration; particularly if you have tried to pin down the cause of your mouth ulcers to no avail.  Fortunately, if you do determine that gluten consumption is contributing to your mouth ulcers, there are more gluten-free products available now than ever before.  This can help you to reduce or eliminate your gluten intake.

While you may not realize it, babies generally have an equal or greater risk of developing mouth ulcers than adults. There are several reasons for this, but leading the pack are the fact that infants often develop oral thrush, which increases vulnerability to mouth ulcers, as well as the fact that babies have a tendency to put objects in their mouth, which can easily lead to mouth injury or the exposure of the mouth to viral or bacterial infections.  A baby mouth ulcer can be a real problem for both the child and the caregiver, because mouth ulcers are notoriously painful.  Additionally, depending on where the sore(s) is located, a caregiver may not always notice it right away.  Fortunately, once detected, there are numerous ways to tend to a baby mouth ulcer.

One of the most common treatments for a mouth ulcer in a baby is simply applying a topical pain relieving gel to the affected area.  Of course, you are not going to want to use the same product on an infant as an adult, so make sure that you only use medication that is intended to be used on infants.  When in doubt, double check with your doctor or pharmacist; this can prevent unintended complications from developing.  Of course, topical pain relievers only numb pain and do not treat the underlying cause of mouth ulcers in babies, and the only way to solve the problem is to heal it and prevent it from reoccurring. 

Many times, the underlying cause of your baby’s mouth ulcer will be apparent.  For example, if your child is suffering from thrush, you can generally determine that any mouth sores that develop are related to the thrush.  Or, if you know that your child injured their mouth, you can deduce that the injury was the cause of the mouth ulcer.  Often, a single canker or other mouth sore is nothing to be overly concerned about.  However, if your baby begins to develop mouth ulcers repeatedly, you are going to want to address the issue with their pediatrician.

Most methods that can be used to prevent mouth ulcers in babies are common sense.  Such preventative measures include properly sterilizing nipples (both on bottles and pacifiers) and keeping items that could cause mouth damage out of your baby’s reach. You may also want to consider cutting down on the acid in your baby’s diet and/or incorporating more water into your child’s diet.  Of course, you are going to want to consult a doctor before modifying your baby’s diet.

If you have recently developed painful and annoying mouth ulcers but do not know why, you may want to take a look in your medicine cabinet.  If you are being treated for an infection, it is important to know that antibiotics cause mouth ulcers.  While it is true that not every person will develop a mouth ulcer over the course of antibiotic treatment, those who take antibiotics for an extended period of time are at an increased risk of developing mouth ulcers.  This is due to the fact that long-term antibiotic use can cause normal microbes to become imbalanced.  When the protective, beneficial microbes that typically exist in our mouths are eliminated due to the effects of antibiotic use, the results are often detrimental.

Fortunately, although antibiotics cause mouth ulcers, they can generally be avoided by restricting your antibiotic use to only a week or so at a time (which is generally enough time for a typical course of antibiotics to do their job), and by reducing the acidity in your diet over the duration of your antibiotic treatment.  There are a couple of ways to do this, either by lowering the acidity in your diet or by taking antacids after meals.  This prevents your saliva and stomach acids from overpowering the remaining microbes in your mouth and damaging your mucus membranes.  Of course, even taking the most diligent precautions cannot prevent all mouth ulcers.

If you do find yourself suffering from mouth ulcers as a result of antibiotic treatment, rest assured that they can be managed.  Don’t be surprised if you develop secondary ulcers during or immediately following your antibiotic regimen.  The best way to treat antibiotics-caused mouth ulcers is to stop taking antibiotics.  This means that if your antibiotic treatment is nearing an end, you will likely be able to manage the pain caused by your mouth ulcers though the use of topical pain relieving products, and you should be able to expect them to clear up on their own within a few days of ceasing your antibiotic regimen. 

Of course, it is never advised to cease taking antibiotics sooner than your doctor prescribes.  This can mean that you have to take them long term, despite the fact that they cause or contribute to mouth ulcers.  In these cases, you can still generally turn to topical pain relieving products.  However, you are also probably going to want to incorporate antibacterial mouth wash into the treatment process to prevent infection.  Additionally, you will want to mention to your doctor that you believe you are developing mouth ulcers as a result of your antibiotic treatment.  He or she may be able to prescribe you an alternative antibiotic or recommend the most effective course of treatment for your mouth ulcers.

Mouth ulcers are probably more common than you may think.  In reality, any time you have an open sore in your mouth that appears as the result of a rupture in the mucus membrane, you have a mouth ulcer.  There are numerous kind of mouth ulcers, and the causes are numerous and varied.  Among the types of mouth ulcers, perhaps the two most common are cold sores and canker sores.  And while cold sores are actually caused by the herpes virus (and generally present themselves as the result of a weakened immune system), canker sores don’t always have a clearly defined underlying cause.  However, many experts believe that chemical exposure can cause the painful sores to manifest themselves.   This concept begs the question: “Can alcohol cause mouth ulcers?”

The fact of the matter is that it has been widely demonstrated that not only does alcohol cause mouth ulcers; it may actually do so more frequently over time.  This is because of the chemicals contained in alcohol, which actually destroy the mucus membrane, leading to mouth sores.  Many chronic drinkers can tell you with authority that they are prone to mouth ulcers, primarily after copious indulgence or binge drinking.

If you develop a mouth ulcer, as the result of alcohol or otherwise, you will certainly know it.  The fact of the matter is that mouth ulcers are notoriously painful, as the delicate tissues underneath the protective mucus membrane are simply not designed to be exposed.  Depending on your overall health and overall oral health, you may find that mouth ulcers tend to take their time healing fully, which can mean that they are bothersome for the long term.  Fortunately, mouth ulcer pain can be managed with numerous topical analgesics.  Many of these products are fairly inexpensive and can be purchased OTC.  Additionally, if you have persistent mouth sores, you may find them less painful if you take an OTC antacid or antihistamine (especially if the ulcer is particularly inflamed).

There are also methods that can be used to prevent or lower the instance of mouth ulcers.  For example, if you have determined that alcohol is the cause of your mouth ulcers, you may derive much relief from reducing your alcohol intake.  An additional prevention technique that often proves helpful is to rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash daily.  If you are unsure what is causing your mouth ulcers, you may want to consider changing toothpastes.  One key ingredient in most toothpaste, sodium lauryl sulfate, has been demonstrated to contribute to mouth ulcers; you may want to consider switching to toothpaste that is either sodium lauryl sulfate free or contains a significantly smaller amount.

While mouth ulcers commonly occur on the insides of the cheeks and lips, they can also form on the tongue.  Mouth ulcer tongue, generally goes without notice as they tend to be less painful than those found on other areas of the mouth.  This is primarily due to the differences in the anatomy of the tongue vs. the rest of the mouth.  While less bothersome than other types of mouth ulcers, those that manifest themselves on the tongue should still be adequately treated to prevent infection, which can lead to additional, secondary problems.

Mouth ulcer; tongue generally presents slightly different than ulcers on other areas of the mouth.  Generally, mouth ulcers that form on the tongue look like white, patchy discolorations.  If the tongue ulcers are left untreated and become infected, they may become inflamed and red, even potentially bleeding.  Because tongue ulcers tend to be painless, they can often exist for quite some time before being detected.  This can lead to higher instances of infection.  It is generally a good idea for everyone to use antibacterial mouthwash, such as Listerine, on a daily basis.  If you are already in the habit of using such a product, you can prevent tongue ulcers from becoming infected whether you know they are there or not.

Mouth ulcers that form on the tongue have many causes that vary from the causes that contribute to mouth ulcers that form elsewhere.  For example, your diet can play a huge role in the formation and persistence of tongue ulcers.  Drinking or eating hot (temperature) food can cause damage to the surface of the tongue, often resulting in blistering and ulceration.  Additionally, eating spicy food can cause damage and ulceration of the tongue.  Other factors that are known to cause or contribute to tongue ulcers include improper oral hygiene, highly acidic diet, drinking and smoking.  Most of these potential causes are self explanatory, and the general rule of thumb is that eliminating the underlying cause of your tongue ulcers will result in rapid healing of such sores.  Additionally, it generally contributes to a reduction in chronic tongue ulcers.

Mouth ulcers that present on the tongue will generally benefit from the same treatments that work well on any mouth ulcers.  However, mouth ulcers of the tongue (especially chronic ones) can actually evolve into mouth cancer.  Therefore, if you have a problem with chronic or recurring mouth sores, you really should schedule a check up with your health care provider.  This is particularly true if you are a drinker, smoker or use chewing tobacco.