How to Get Rid of Sores

Welcome to How To Get Rid of Sores. This website seeks to address any questions you may have regarding mouth sores. The most common sores that people get are Canker Sores and Cold Sores. It should be noted that Canker Sores and Cold Sores are very different from each other. Let’s look at what Cankers and Cold Sores are, and the differences between them.

Canker Sores

A Canker Sore is a very painful and annoying ordeal. Also known as an aphthous ulcer or aphthous stomatitis, Canker Sores appear on the soft tissue of your mouth. This means that they can crop up on the inner lining of your cheeks, the base of your gums, your tongue and on your inner lip. A canker will often be preceded by a tingling or burning sensation on the affected area.

Canker sores do not usually appear in clusters but will consist of a single sore. This sore will often be circular or oval in shape. The sore will be a shallow white or yellowish lesion with a red ring around it. Canker Sores, unlike Cold Sores, are not contagious. There is no scientific evidence suggesting that Canker Sores can be transmitted by kissing or sharing food.

How to get rid of canker sores is a fairly simple question to answer. Healing takes time. The average healing time of a canker sore is around 10-14 days. The healing time can be accelerated by using certain mouth rinses and topical gels or pastes. There are many HOME REMEDIES that can be made for Canker Sores.

There are also various over the counter products from pharmacies that you can obtain to get rid of canker sores. There are antiseptic rinses and numbing gels that work to both heal the sore faster and relieve pain. There are also many natural canker sore treatments available on the market. Although Canker sores generally go away after 10-14 days, if the sore persists or gets bigger it is best to see a health care professional immediately.

One of the best ways to get rid of Canker Sores is to prevent them. If you are constantly plagued by Canker Sores, you need to identify the reasons they are appearing.

Trauma to the mouth- this is the most common cause of infection. If you have braces or a jagged edge on a tooth than this could be a potential cause of the Canker Sore

Stress- Your body deals with stress in a variety of different ways. Often canker sores can appear if you are going through a difficult or emotional period.

Lack of Vitamins- If you are not getting enough iron, folic acid or Vitamin B12 then Canker Sores can occur with a lot more frequently. Add more of the suggested vitamins to your diet to see if this is your solution to Canker Sores.

Genetics- Canker Sores affect a large part of the population. Canker Sores are often passed on from generation to generation.

Hormones- Women are more prone to canker sores than men. During pregnancy, menstruation or menopause, the appearance of cankers is a lot more likely and could occur more frequently.

Toothpaste- Many commonly used types of toothpaste contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). This is the chemical that creates a foaming reaction while brushing your teeth. Tests have shown that SLS can lead to Canker Sores.

Although Canker Sores are painful and annoying, there are many different ways to treat them. About 10% of the population is affected by canker sores and although it is not a serious condition, Canker sores should be monitored.

Cold Sores

Unlike Canker Sores, Cold Sores are very contagious. They tend to appear on your lips. They very rarely appear inside of your mouth. If a cold sore does appear inside your mouth it will not be on the soft tissue but on a hard surface. Cold Sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus. There are two type of the virus, HSV-1 and HSV-2.

As mentioned, a cold sore is contagious. The herpes virus may be transmitted by touching an infected surface. By sharing a drink or some food, or any surface with saliva, you could very well be opening yourself up to the herpes virus.

Cold Sores are clusters of small sores that appear on or around your lips. Before they surface, people will often feel tingling or burning sensations in the affected area. Once the blister or blisters appear, they will usually break open quite quickly. The blister may leak some clear fluid. It will eventually crust over.

On average it should take about 2 weeks to be rid of a cold sore. There is very little that a person can do to treat a cold sore. Once you have the virus, it is in your system for the rest of your life. Many cream or ointments can cut down the healing time by a day or two. There are also some medicines available that will reduce the frequency of outbreaks.

The best method to get rid of cold sores is to prevent them. One such preventative measure is to be careful of sharing food and drinks. Here are some of the best ways to prevent Cold Sores:

Lip Balm/Sunscreen- Sunlight can actually cause you to break out with a cold sore. By using lip balm and sunscreen, you are keeping your lips protected.

Stress- High levels of stress could potentially be the cause of a cold sore outbreak.

Sharing- Do not share eating utensils, toothbrushes or other items that could have come into contact with a cold sore

Wash your hands- This can prevent the virus from spreading to other body parts or other people.

If Cold Sores are a problem for you, your best option is talking to your doctor. The problem is not going to go away, but there are treatment options available to you. These treatments may cut down on the severity of the cold sore and the amount of time the sore is present.

I hope that this site is beneficial to you and offers you the information that you are looking for. If you require more in-depth information on mouth sores such as Canker Sores take a look at How to Get Rid of Canker Sores. For more thorough information on Cold Sores read the article on How to Get Rid of Cold Sores.