Question:
Does anyone have advice for the prevention of canker sores in the mouth?
I seem to have one after another, sometimes more than one at a time.
The total time with is probably greater than the total time without them.
If you've ever experienced canker sores you know they can make eating a
painful experience. Anytime I bite the inside of my mouth I can be assured
that a big one will form. My dention makes this a frequent occurance.
I've seen postings on getting rid of canker sores (with the general
consensus that nothing will really get rid of them, only time) but nothing
on preventing their occurance or reducing the frequency of their
occurance? Should I daily gargle with hydrogen peroxide or mouthwash?
Is there anything related to diet, vitamin deficiency or enviroment?
I'm not particularly happy with my job, but I don't think I'm under alot
of stress. I don't smoke, seldomly drink (beer) and try to eat wholesome
foods. Coffee is required at least twice a day, however.
Answer:
Here are a couple of recent thoughts on the prevention of recurrent
aphthous stomatitis (canker sores).
It has been noted that smokers and users of smokeless tobacco have
significant;y fewer occurrences of aphthous stomatitis. Presumably this
is due to the increased keratinization of their oral mucosa, but it may
also be a side effect of nicotine. (Note: as a head and neck surgeon, I
can assure you that the operations we do for patients with floor of mouth
cancers, cancer of the larynx, etc. are a hell of a lot worse than having
a few sores in the mouth... therefore, don't smoke or use smokeless tobacco)
Here's a safer alternative that seems to have some efficacy. It's a
herbal based tablet enriched with recommended doses of vitamins, called
LongoVital. I have never used this and I'm fairly
skeptical about vitamin-based therapy, but the literature would seem to
suggest some reduction in the occurrence of canker sores is associated
with its use (see Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine, September 1990).
It would be interesting to see if vitamin supplementation in general is
associated with a decreased incidence.
As for the cause of canker sores... it remains unknown. (There are,
however, several condtions associated with higher incindences, such as
acute myelogenous leukemia, HIV infection, cyclic neutropenia, etc. All
seem to indicate a reduced level of immune competency). My guess?
Probably, a virus (varicella-zoster?) is responsible.
I would also hope it goes without saying that not all painful ulcers in
the mouth are apthous ulcers, but instead may represent a more serious
condition. Any lesion in the mouth lasting longer than 3 weeks probably
ought to be seen by an M.D
