Question: What are canker sores?

Question: Sometimes I get painful red bumps with white centers in my mouth. Are these canker sores? And why do I get them?

Canker sores are common for many people. While the exact cause of canker sores is not known, experts think that stress or injury to the mouth’s tissue could be potential causes. Dental appliances like braces or cleaning tools could irritate the tissue to cause a canker sore as well. You can also trigger canker sores by eating large amounts of certain types of food, such as citrus fruits. Rarely, canker sores can be caused by illness or disease, so if you have persistent canker sores, you may want to ask your dentist or doctor about disease.

You may have a canker sore if you notice a painful sore inside your mouth on your tongue, roof of your mouth or inside of your cheeks. The sores are normally found and white or grey with a red edge. Tingling or burning may occur prior to the sores developing.

Most of the time, canker sores heal without treatment in a few days to a week. However, if sores are larger and painful, a dentist may give you an antimicrobial rinse, a steroid ointment ointment, or a prescription solution to minimize the pain.

If you have any more questions about canker sores, please contact the professionals at DentaLux today!