Canker sores?
Question:
a month and a half ago i got a couple canker soars and it took about a week and a half for them to go away.
i got them in the same place again a week ago and when one goes away another comes up. I went to the dentist and wasnt clear on what it was , all he said was they should go away in 1 to 3 weeks. I called a doctor and told him what it was and that ive had them before in the same place and he said it sounds like herpes simplex 1. OK BUT, every website i go to including WEB MD, none of them say that the sores IN my mouth are contagious or even herpes. They all say they are canker sores because herpes come ON the lip . SO what the hell? Stress causes both and i have been really stressed latley and it doesnt help that i dont know what im dealing with. i have a doc. apointment monday. To me different people say different things about what i have so what is it, what should i ask and do.
Answers:
First of all, don't trust EVERYTHING that WebMD says. They're not always right.
If you have been under a lot of stress that might be the reason that's causing it. You may want to try to relieve some of your stress that way. Along with stress is lack of sleep, another cause of canker sores. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a day if you can.
Another way is to modify your diet a bit. High doses of caffeine and sugar have been known to cause canker sores along with a deficiency of vitamin C. Maybe cut back on that a bit and take some supplements.
There are also several over the counter medications that, while they don't cure canker sores, you can apply them to that area before you go to sleep so that you don't aggravate the wound while you sleep. You can also apply them during the day to dull the pain a bit.
One other note. I've had canker sores all my life and I've noticed that, as I get older, my canker sores, like any injuries that I suffer now, heal a lot slower. You might want to consider that. You may have just gotten a bit older and your body is taking longer to recover from injuries now.
Canker sores are not the same as cold sores (what you get on the lips - Herpes I)
I'm not sure of what works best, but you could try swishing warm salt water in your mouth, to try and kill any viruses in there. I do that - hurts like hell, but seems to make them heal quicker. Also, after the initial pain, the salt actually numbs the area.
Canker sores run in my family and I get them all the time naturally. They hurt like heck, but I can help with the pain if you need it.
For your lips use Blistex Healing Ointment.
And to treat your sore use Zilactin B gel. This gel DOES sting when you first put it on, but then it creates protection over the canker sore to provide relief.
If you can't take the sting of that, try Orabase B (by Colgate) to numb it.
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