symptoms of oral and dental disorders
mouth and dental disorders
Mouth Sores and Inflammation
Treatment of the cause Avoidance of irritating foods and substances Topical treatments Doctors treat the cause, if known. For example, people are given antibiotics for bacterial infections. Avoiding any substances or medications that are causing the mouth sores is recommended. Frequent, gentle toothbrushing with a soft brush and salt-water rinses may help keep sores from becoming infected. Pain can be helped by avoiding acidic or highly salty foods and any other substances that are irritating. Topical treatments are substances applied directly to an affected part of the body. Topical treatments for mouth sores include Anesthetics Protective coatings Corticosteroids Burning with a laser or chemicals An anesthetic such as dyclonine orlidocainemay be used as a mouth rinse. However, because these mouth rinses numb the mouth and throat and thus may make swallowing difficult, children using them should be watched to ensure that they do not choke on their food.Lidocainein a thicker preparation (viscouslidocaine) can also be swabbed directly on the mouth sore. People who use these rinses should use them only in recommended doses to avoid toxic effects. Protective coatings containingsucralfateand aluminum-magnesium antacids can be soothing when applied as a rinse. Many doctors add other ingredients such aslidocaineand/ordiphenhydramine(an antihistamine). Amlexanox paste is another alternative. These coatings may help the discomfort but do not treat the cause of the sores. Mouth rinses that contain alcohol (ethanol) should be avoided, because they may actually make the mouth sores worse. Once doctors are sure that the sore is not caused by an infection, they may prescribe a corticosteroid rinse or a corticosteroid gel to be applied to each sore. Some mouth sores can be treated with a low-powered laser, which relieves pain immediately and often prevents sores from returning. Chemically burning the sore with a small stick coated withsilver nitratemay similarly relieve pain but is not as effective as a laser. 