Mouth Ulcers

Everhopeful

I am not sure if I have posted this question to the right forum but I really hope somebody out there can help me. My daughter of 15 suffers very badly from mouth ulcers. It has been happening for years and I have found nothing to date to help her. So I am asking all of you out there - DO YOU HAVE A CURE - at the moment she can hardly talk they are so bad. I would really appreciate help with this as they have her worn out.

ElleEm

I was the EXACT same as a teenager. Still suffer as an adult but not as much.
I usually get them when I'm run down or stressed so she should maybe dose up on Vit C or Echinachea, and ensure she's getting enough rest.
Also, have you had her checked for thrush? Once I had such bad mouth ulcers I couldn't speak and it turned out to be thrush.
I use the new Bonjela stuff where you nearly paint on the stuff and it forms a film over the ulcers. It stings like a b!tch putting it on but really stops the pain.

alie

My daughter has suffered for years with these too, she is now 13 and has been attending the dental hospital, they usually occur when iron levels are low and Ciara takes ferrum hausmann liquid iron , she also uses Kin mouthwash . And Aloclar gel and spray. We also get a script for Coralan pellets which you place on the ulcer. I would recommend you get a referral or bring her straight in ti A&E in Dublin Dental Hospital. Also drinking through a straw is helpful, Professer Flint whom my daughter is under says they are very common in teenagers . Ciara was unfortunate to get them and for them to reacur on the exsisting one that was healing so it has left her mouth scarred.

Lil' Smiler

I get them when I'm run down or stressed and I got them when I was a teenager too. I get this pink mouthwash from the chemist, i can't think of the name right now. I'll post it when I get home and I have a look.

not varying my diet too was another reason given by my dr

alie

They will do blood tests for you too, if you want to pm me , please feel free:)

Everhopeful

Thank you all so much for your prompt reply. I will follow ALL the suggestions in order to get to the bottom of it. I did bring her to for an allergy test and she can't eat jellies or cheese, which she doesn't, but still gets them. Hopefully I will get it sorted soon....

alie

They are nothing to do with allergies according to my dentist , they are a symptom of irregularites in the blood system. Good luck with everything, hope she gets rid of them soon,

El_Dangeroso

Sorry to hear about your daughter, I hope she has been to a doctor to see if there's any underlying condition that could be causing this. That would be the first step.

If the roots are bacterial, then rinsing the mouth with xylitol could help. You get in in the health food shop as a powder. It promotes the good bacteria and kills off bad bacteria, if this is the source of the problem then that might work.

Avoid toothpastes with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, acid fruits and chewing gum, as these can often aggravate mouth ulcers.

neuro-praxis

I suggest using Corsodyl mouthwash twice a day, and Corsodyl gel regularly to kill the pain. I would also suggest taking a high dose of Vitamin C every day. You can get these in any chemist or supermarket.

Try this for 3 months and see where you are.

Since introducing these measures, I don't get them anymore. I get the odd one, once or twice a year, when I am very run down.

lubie76

I second the Corsodyl. It's great for any mouth or gum problems. Just be careful as it can temporarily discolour your teeth.

fonpokno

neuro-praxis wrote: »

I suggest using Corsodyl mouthwash twice a day, and Corsodyl gel regularly to kill the pain. I would also suggest taking a high dose of Vitamin C every day. You can get these in any chemist or supermarket.

Try this for 3 months and see where you are.

Since introducing these measures, I don't get them anymore. I get the odd one, once or twice a year, when I am very run down.

I find Corsodyl can be quite sore on the mouth though. If she's already in pain from the ulcers, Kin would be a gentler option. They both contain chlorhexidine but Kin is less harsh from my experience. Kin is alcohol free also.

I'd also second getting a referral into the Dublin Dental Hospital or if it's really bad, popping into the A&E in there. Prof Flint and Dr Healy are brilliant in there and would deal with chronic ulceration like this all the time.

Oral Surgeon

Sorry to hear OP,
Best place to be seen is the oral medicine dept of the Dublin Dental Hospital or Cork Dental School
Best to get a referral to see them, maybe you feel an A&E appointment is needed but in my experience did not speed up the process of being seen in the oral med clinic.

First they will try to rule out anything serious (rare) these include Crohns, ulcerative colitis, coeliac and other gastrointestinal problems that may lead to poor absorption of iron, folate, vit B12...
There are also other recurrent "vesiculobullous" conditions that have distinctive presentations and features
Viral or bacterial infections tend not to cause recurrent lesions such as this.
fungal infections of the mouth are really only seen in those wearing dentures or on broad spectrum antibiotics or immuno-compromised by drugs such as steroids or conditions such as HIV....

Now more commonly
it's likely to be recurrent apthous ulceration (minor, major and herpetiform types)
minor cause shallow ulcers about 5mm diameter, yellow base, tend to heal without scar within 2 weeks, usually on inside of lips and cheeks...
major are over 10mm, very sore, all surfaces of mouth including palate, tongue, heal very slowly (months) and leave a scar


The clinician will ask about skin, eye, genital and mouth lesions. Also ask about a history of bowel problems to see if a scope is necessary. Also type of diet and lack of intake of red meat etc.. Then blood tests for iron, folate, vit b12 and other indicators of inflammatory diseases and auto-immune diseases...

Usually in this age group, all the serious stuff is clear, in girls the iron, folate, vitb12 may be lacking (menstrual loss and growing etc)
If something is lacking-supplementation with pills/injections may solve or lessen the problem

if no deficiencies seen- symptomatic treatment and prevention are necessary- a topical steroid mouthwash is often used and is very useful while not having systemic side effects. Steroid tablets etc are used for very severe cases if deemed necessary (not in growing patients etc...)

In the meantime...
I find that corsodyl and bonjela sting and are of no great benefit.... Normal brushing etc suffice
Kin is better as already stated but corsodyl and kin will stain the teeth and this becomes stubborn if used for a long period
I'd use difflam spray or rinse for now until seen by oral med. Difflam temporally numbs the mouth allowing some time to eat some dinner...

Good luck,
OS

Oral Surgeon

Mods- Suggest moving to dental issues??

puffbubble

I read the Oral Surgeon's reply above and having a ten year old son with the same problem I took him to my GP for a referral with a copy of the post by the Oral Surgeon - and my GP wouldn't refer my son and said "some people are just prone to them" - BULLSH*T - he wasn't born with them so something has come into his life to cause them!! But he did do a blood test to check iron and Vit B12 and Folic. But is expecting it to come back as normal (he has a great diet, all veg, all meat, fish, fruit, water - great kid!!). So I read further on this and found something small but relevant on a forum.

For the past two years my son hasn't had a single day without a mouth ulcer and it affects his day, his sleep and his general mood - he's easily upset, always looks like he needs a decent night's sleep and is constantly complaining about the pain from the ulcers and his jaw. We have tried supplements, removing foods from his diet, allergy tests, etc. But with no success to date.

So, Monday evening he has his mouth ulcers and after coming across a forum I took him off Colgate Total and asked him to use Sensodyne Pro Namel. Here we are on Thursday morning and he's had his first full night's sleep in two years and is totally MOUTH ULCER FREE!!!! Amazing result in just 60 hours!!!! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself.

The comment on the forum was that SODIUM LAURYL SULPHATE was the culprit and there are toothpastes out there that don't have it.

Now, I'm not saying this is the cure for everyone, but it's definitely a starting point and presumably if you continue to have mouth ulcers you should be getting blood tests and referrals to check your health in greater detail.

Best of luck to everyone in this position - my son has viewed these ulcers as a form of torture and I can't tell you how wonderful it is to see him so happy in the morning again after good sleep and being pain free...TG for the internet and let's have a big round of applause for Boards.ie!!!!:D:D:D:D:D

p to the e

Go into any health shop eg. Holland and Barrett, and get the toothpaste "Dr. Organic". Haven't had a mouth ulcer in months since i started using it.

puffbubble

Thanks a bazillion - it seems so obvious now, just wish I'd known 5 years ago!!!!!:)