This is an automatically translated article.
The article was professionally consulted by Doctor of Dental - Jaw - Facial - Doctor of Dental - Jaw - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital
Canker sores or oral aphthous ulcers are painful ulcers in the mouth with small ulcers less than 1cm, oval or round with red margins. The treatment of aphthous ulcers, because the cause of the disease has not been determined, is mainly symptomatic treatment to reduce the number and size of ulcers, reduce pain, reduce healing time, and reduce the possibility of recurrence. .
1. Topical ointments and mouthwashes
Some medications are numbing agents that can be prescribed for ulcers in the form of gels, oils, or solutions. The following drugs can be used to treat aphthous ulcers:
Silver nitrate: applied directly to the lesion The drug relieves pain immediately after application and heals within 3-5 days The cream contains triamcinolone. acetonide, or amlexanox (aphthasol) Gel 2% lidocaine applied topically also works well. Debacterol is a complex of phenol sulfonate with sulfuric acid that has similar effects to silver nitrate. This is a form of burning that destroys mouth ulcers with chemicals. The pain is almost immediately relieved and the wound will heal after 3-5 days. Medicines that are sold by prescription and are only taken by a dentist or doctor; chlorhexidine (cyteal, eludril): antiseptic mouthwash to help heal ulcers.
Besides, the patient needs to gargle with 0.9% physiological saline, do not gargle with salt water that is too salty, it will increase pain irritation more. In the case of patients with frequent mouth ulcers, gargling with 0.12% chlorhexidine solution is also an effective preventive measure, and helps prevent superinfection during wound healing. A solution of tetracycline (achromycin, panmycin, sumycin, tetracap) used as a mouthwash can help relieve pain and speed up ulcer healing. However, medication to treat aphthous ulcers does not help prevent recurrence. When used for more than 5 days, the drug can cause irritation and facilitate fungal growth.
Note: When using topical medication for mouth ulcers, it is recommended to apply the drug about 1 hour before meals to have both anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects, 1-2 hours before going to bed at night to The drug works best.
2. Oral medicine
Oral aphrodisiac medication to treat this disease is usually colchicine 0.6mg; prednisone.
You need to take more iron and supplement with vitamin PP, vitamin B12, vitamin C, folic acid or multivitamin in a short time to improve health and promote healing of ulcers.
In case of superinfection, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics. The antibiotic biseptol (cotrimoxazol) with active ingredients sulfamethoxazol and trimethoprim has a good effect on the treatment of aphthous ulcers. In the case of large and persistent aphthous ulcers, which are almost permanent in the cheeks, must be combined with oral antibiotics specific to the mouth, spiramycin and metronidazol.
If there is a local fungal infection, it is necessary to take additional antifungal drugs (in combination with topical application, the better) such as fluconazole, itraconazole or nistatin.
For severe canker sores, your doctor may consider giving oral corticosteroids after weighing the benefits and harms. Side effects of the drug include weight gain, immunosuppression, brittle bones, increased acid secretion leading to stomach ulcers...
Although it cannot be completely cured, treatment can help alleviate symptoms, shortening the progression time of the disease, reducing the possibility of recurrence and prolonging the healing time, helping patients eat and sleep better, and improve their quality of life.
For people with mouth ulcers for the first time, should go to the doctor to confirm the diagnosis, rule out other dangerous diseases with aphthous-like symptoms. Patients with repeated relapses should discuss this with their doctor.
Note: when using topical medicine, it is recommended to apply the medicine to treat aphthous ulcers about 1 hour before meals to have both anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects, apply before going to bed at night 1- 2 hours, do not apply medicine to treat pressure ulcers near going to bed at night, because when you sleep without swallowing saliva, it is the saliva that creates a very thick film, this film prevents the drug from sticking to the pressure sore area, making the drug lose effect.
3. What to do to prevent aphthous ulcers?
Periodic dental and oral examinations should be performed to detect and definitively treat damage caused by teeth.
Avoid eating foods with local stimulant properties such as: fish sauce, pepper, chili, spicy spices; alcoholic beverages, caffeine, ... Avoid even very mild injuries in the mouth such as being careful when using a toothbrush, when eating hard foods. Avoid staying up late, make sure to get enough sleep, work properly, and rest properly to avoid prolonged fatigue that is easy to relapse. You should rinse your mouth with physiological saline daily to prevent fungal and bacterial infections. Do not use toothpastes that contain sodium lauryl sulfate if you often have aphthous ulcers. Examination and orthodontic treatment of irregular tooth surfaces. Supplement with iron, folic acid or vitamin B12 if deficient. In case you have frequent mouth ulcers, gargling with 0.12% chlorhexidine solution is also an effective preventive measure, and helps prevent superinfection during the healing process. Besides, fostering to improve physical condition, taking multivitamins, also helps prevent disease recurrence. To prevent severe aphthous ulcers, you need to go to the hospital for medical examination when you see the following signs: having mouth ulcers for the first time; more and more pain; you have diarrhea because you may have Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis; there are ulcers in a location other than the mouth; sores lasting more than 3 weeks.
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