Canker Sore on Tongue

Canker Sore on Tongue






Canker sore is common ulcerous growth on the tongue in which small lesions are found on the oral cavity. It may grow inside the lips or on the cheek portion. The bumps will have defined red border that surrounds the white particle. Canker sores are painful and it may cause difficulty in eating and talking. Often, group of lesions or sores are formed on the tongue. However it is not contagious. Canker sores are common among people of any age, since it can grow in children, men and women.

Causes :

It is believed to be hereditary and you have more chance of getting canker sore if your parents had it. Some people may develop sores on the tongue when they become emotional or stressed. Women get these bumps during the onset of monthly periods.

Individuals who have teeth braces are likely to get canker sores. Some people may hurt their mouth during fall or accidents and are prone to develop sores.

Food Allergy is also another reason for canker sore. Acidity can damage the soft tissues of oral cavity causing lesions or sores. If you are lacking vitamins it can affect your tissues causing canker sore.

Symptoms :

It starts as a tiny yellowish ulcer like growth on the tongue or inside the lips. The size of the sore may differ from small to large. They have a clear border with white center part and often they grow on clusters.

Initially it starts as tingling sensation in the mouth and there may be pain while swallowing. Some people may have discomfort in eating and drinking due to intense pain caused by canker sore. The sores may last for a week or 10 days but for some people it may take 3-4 weeks for complete healing. Canker sore does not leave any scar on the affected area.

Diagnoses :

Mere physical examination is enough to identify canker sores. Your doctor or dentist will make right diagnoses on seeing the sores in the affected area.

Prevention :

You can prevent getting canker sores by maintaining healthy diet. Avoid taking too much of acidic diet like orange juice or lemon. Be careful while brushing your teeth since the bristles may hurt the gums or cheek causing painful sores. Reduce the intake of potato chips since fine particles of it can stick on the gums causing sores. Exposure to hot climate and working in hot environment increases the risk of getting canker sores.

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Treatment :

Often, canker sores do not require any treatment and it will heal on their own after some days. Take plenty of soft foods that are easy to swallow. Use yogurt in your daily meal plan. Avoid eating salty or spicy foods since it may aggravate the sore causing more pain.

Instead of eating full food, you can break them into small pieces which become easy to swallow. Avoid having cool drinks, coffee or tea for few days. Drink plenty of water and take popsicles.

Some fluids like coffee or hot tea can cause stinging pain on the sore when it touches the sore. Hence avoid having such drinks until it heals completely.

You can use lukewarm salt water for rinsing the mouth since salt has the potential to heal the wound. You can apply over the counter crams that contain anbesol or orabase. You can dip the cotton swab in the medicine and apply it on the sore and leave for few minutes.

In case of severe pain, you can take aspirin or ibuprofen for getting relief from pain.

If you did not get relief with these home remedies you can consult your doctor. He would suggest medicines that can be gargled or swished inside the mouth for reducing the pain. Steroid ointments like fluocinonide or almexanox is prescribed for canker sore along with gentle mouthwash. He may prescribe hydrogen peroxide gel that is effective in killing the germs and healing canker sores. Anesthetic mouth gels like benzocaine can also be used.

You need to monitor the health condition to identify what exactly causes canker sores, so that you can avoid them in future. Take plenty of vitamins in your diet and in particular take required quantities of iron and zinc.

Canker Sore on Tongue

Canker Sore on Tongue

What are Canker sores?

Canker sores, also referred to as aphthous ulcers, are a problem where ulcers develop on the tongue as well as inside the cheeks, under the gums and on the inner lips. These sores on the tongue are not contagious but they are tremendously painful. They are normally red and might have a coating that is white.

Canker Sore on Tongue Causes

The cause of canker sores developing is unknown but it seems that they tend to run in families. They often develop when any of the following happens:

• Being tired or over stressed


• Injury to the tongue with toothpicks, toothbrushes or biting


• Having a viral infections


• Heredity


• Hormonal changes


• Salty, spicy foods


• During menstrual cycle for a woman


• Because of braces on the teeth


• Having food allergies


• Drinking or eating foods or juice that have lots of acid


• Not enough vitamins or minerals in diet such as iron

It is reported that about twenty (20) % of the population – one (1) out of five (5) – individuals have canker sores at any one time. Women are slightly more likely than males to have recurrent cases of canker sores. They can occur at any age, but more commonly in teenagers. Genetic studies report that predisposition to recurrent outbreaks of these sores is inherited in some individuals. This would explain the reason why family members often share this problem.

Canker Sore Types

Canker sores are usually categorized into three (3) groups based on size. These are:

Minor canker sores
Minor sores have a diameter of 1 mm to 10 mm. They are the more common with 80% of all sores being minor and normally last about seven (7) to ten (10) days.

Major canker sores
Major sores accounts for ten (10) percent of canker sore, have a diameter of larger than ten (10) mm as well as taking anywhere between ten (10) to thirty (30) days to heal. They can leave scars after healing.

Herpetiform ulcers
Herpetiform ulcers also accounts for the last ten (10) percent of canker sores and are formed by clusters of multiple small individual sores. They usually heal within seven (7) to ten (10) days.

Canker Sore on Tongue Symptoms

The major symptom of canker sores is a shallow ulcer on the tongue or the inside of the lip or cheek. The sore could be small or large and it usually will have a border that is red and a yellow or white center. There can be more than one canker sore at a time.

These sores normally start with a tingling or burning feeling. They can be swollen as well as painful. Having one makes it hard to eat or talk.

These sores can hurt for seven (7) to ten (10) days. Minor sores heal totally in one (1) to three (3) weeks, but major can often take as much as six (6) weeks to heal. Some individuals develop another canker sore after the first one has healed. Most heal with no scar.
Symptoms include:

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• One or more red, painful bumps or spots that develop into an open ulcer


• Middle of sore is yellow or white


• Normally small – under 1 cm but can be very larger


• Sore can turn gray prior to beginning to heal

Less common symptoms:

• Fever


• General malaise or discomfort


• Swollen Lymph Nodes

Often an outbreak that is severe can be accompanied by non-specific symptoms of illness, such as fever.

Canker Sore on Tongue Treatment

Treatment is normally not needed. In the majority of cases, the sores go away on their own.

If an individual has a canker sore, he/she shouldn’t eat spicy or hot foods because it will cause pain. Over-the-counter, mild mouth wash or salty water can help. There are also medications over-the-counter to soothe the area that is painful. These drugs can be applied directly to the sore area of the mouth.

These are also home remedies that can be used – some listed below.

For cases that are severe, prescription medication might be needed. This can include fluocinonide gel (Lidex) or chorhexidine gluconate mouth washes. A powerful anti-inflammatory such as corticosteroids also can be used.

In order to stop bacterial infections from developing, brush and floss teeth regularly as well as get routine dental checkups.

Home Remedies

The best home remedy is to mix half hydrogen peroxide as well as half water. Using a cotton swab apply the mixture directly on the canker sore. After that, dab a small amount of Milk of Magnesia on the canker sore, three (3) to four (4) times a day. This will soothe and might also help the sore heel.

Another good home remedy is to mix half Milk of Magnesia and half Benadryl liquid. Swish this in your mouth for approximately 1 minute, and then spit out.

Canker Sore on Tongue Pictures