Canker Sores

[StarsDie]

I started getting canker sores around the age of 12 or so. And for years I'd get about 5-8 every year.

In 2015 I had nearly 40 canker sores. One after another. Some big enough to cause little scars. Sometimes 2 at a time.

Anyone else deal with canker sores? Could they be related to stress and anxiety? Or maybe dental health (cavities, wisdom teeth etc)?

Doctor thinks maybe an autoimmune issue, but that's the worst case scenario it seems. So I'm wondering if there's more best case scenarios that anyone else has experienced here.

[uru]

get 'em all the time. Specially after drinking.

[StarsDie]

How often would you say you get them?

[Pepperpot]

never heard of em!! what are they?

[StarsDie]

Painful white ulcers inside the mouth. Not contagious and not herpes. Look like this: https://gettingridofcankersores.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/how-to-get-rid-of-a-canker-sores.jpg

[uru]

Not 40 times a year but pretty frequently...sometimes when I bite my lips. I tend to get two at once as well which is annoying. Buy some igloo...that's pretty good!

---------- Post added at 17:51 ---------- Previous post was at 17:50 ----------

In the UK we call them ulcers

[StarsDie]

I got some stuff for the pain and I now use Squigle toothpaste. Unfortunately hasn't stopped the frequency of them. And it's the frequency of them that I'm concerned about, as the 'debilitation' aspect of it is very manageable for me. Just fear for having an underlying 'slow killer' health issue.

[Pepperpot]

ahhhhh ulcers - nope. Don't get them

[Randara]

I get about 2 -3 a month. I read somewhere that in females it is related to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle (sorry not helpful for you).

I do know that certain foods can cause them/make them worse (sweet or acidic food like tomatoes or sugar)

[StarsDie]

I think that stuff makes it worse for sure. But yeah... My diet hasn't changed. The only thing that has changed is the frequency that I get them. Which went from like 1 every 2 months to about 3 a month.

Who knows.

[uru]

do you drink a lot?

[StarsDie]

Very rare that I drink alcohol.

I do drink a ton of coffee however.

[Randara]

NHS website states that coffee can cause ulcers - http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Mouth-ulcer/Pages/Causes.aspx

[StarsDie]

Thanks a lot for the link :)

I had been under the impression that coffee hurts your canker sores and makes them worse when you have them, rather than outright causes them. I have been a heavy coffee drinker for years, and yet it was only this past year that canker sores were a massive issue.

Regardless, ditching coffee and caffeine is definitely a good idea and I should really try to stop it.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Stress definitely causes them in me. Before my anxiety I would have outbreaks of 5+ easily at a time when I was very stressed at work.

I think salt might play a part too as if it eat too many crisps I tend to find I have sore throats for over a day and sometimes these too.

How about warm salt water rinses? Gargling with the stuff helps to clean your throat when you have infections, an old thing from years ago but still recommended by nurses days.

We also have healthy bacteria in our mouths that keep the Candida in check. I've never looked at it for ulcers but it might be worth a look since you can restore the balance pretty easily with probiotics.

[uru]

Crisps for me too terry. Hula hoops in particular!

[StarsDie]

I had to take a ton of probiotics when I had a C. Difficile infection back in June. I continued taking after the infection went away. Unfortunately not much help with the canker sores.

Canker sores are more of an autoimmune thing... So my immune system seems to be 'overactive' in this sense. I just hope it doesn't mean I have a systemic thing going on.

[Sparkling_Fairy]

Definitely stress. When I had high anxiety, I'd have a new one each month. And hardly ever before.
Have only had 1 since I conquered my anxiety.
I mean, it can be caused by diet, bad mouth hygiene, etc. But stress is definitely a huge factor

[MyNameIsTerry]

Well done for conquering your anxiety, Sparkling Fairy :yesyes:

Beef Hula Hoops, Urusainaa, now I'm hungry! :dribble::emot-drool:

[chrisphillips]

I get cold sores a lot, and recently have two in the space of three weeks. Probably Christmas stress. I use tea bags on my cold sores which is random but read up on it :P

[Sparkling_Fairy]

Well done for conquering your anxiety, Sparkling Fairy :yesyes:



Thanks Terry!
I only dealt with it for 6 months, so not nearly as bad as a lot of people here. I can recognise that.
Once I figured out what brought it on, I managed to deal with it. Getting to the root before it gets too bad seems to be key!

[StarsDie]

Chrisphillips -- Canker sores and cold sores are different.

Canker sores are more like ulcers inside the mouth.