You have a mouth sore. Is it a canker sore, or is it a cold sore? What causes canker sores? How do you get rid of cold sores?
These two things are very easy to confuse, but they’re two very different things. Canker sores and cold sores are alike in that they can cause significant pain and may take some time to heal.
Woodhill Dental Specialties has suggestions for dealing with canker sores and cold sores, but you need to understand the difference. That way, you’ll know how to treat that mouth sore.
So, what are a canker and cold sore, and how are they different? The HSV-1 herpes virus, spread by contact, causes a cold sore. A canker sore can be caused by various issues, from allergies or injury to stress or smoking. A deficiency in folic acid or vitamin B12 can also cause them.
Knowing what causes these sores can help you treat and prevent them. Let’s look at some facts about canker sores and cold sores.
The first step to treating mouth sores is identifying what they are and how they’re caused. Here are some facts to keep in mind!
While some call them canker sores, others call them mouth ulcers. What is a canker sore? It’s a sore that appears on your lips, cheeks, gums, or tongue. This mouth ulcer often appears as a white center with a red border, much like other ulcers.
Whatever you call them, they are painful. Avoid spicy foods if you get a mouth ulcer, or it can cause more pain. Ouch!
Canker sores differ from cold sores because they are inside your mouth.
In severe cases, a mouth ulcer inside your lip can extend to the outer edge. Sometimes, biting your lip can cause a mouth ulcer. Canker sores on the tongue are another common location for these painful ulcers inside your mouth.
Canker sores can sometimes swell, making it easy to bite down on them. Take care when you chew if you have a canker sore so you don’t bite it and make it worse.
A cold sore on the lips is common, though it can also form just above or below the lips. The sores look like a raised rash. It’s often red with white bumps or patches. Those bumps can burst, causing it to scab over.
Like canker sores, cold sores are painful. It’s important to get them treated right away. Besides the pain, there is another important reason why you should treat cold sores right away.
Cold sores come from a herpes virus and are very contagious! Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly if you touch your face during a cold sore outbreak. Get medication as soon as possible, and don’t share food, drinks, or kisses with anyone. You don’t want to spread the virus to someone else!
Stress, vitamin deficiencies, injuries, and other internal factors can cause canker sores. As a result, they aren’t contagious. If they return frequently, you should visit with your dentist, orthodontist, or doctor. Frequent mouth ulcers signal other issues that should be addressed.
Now that you know the difference, you may want to know how to get rid of canker sores or cold sores.
Unfortunately, there is no great canker sore treatment. While there are ways to soothe the pain and promote healing, they usually have to disappear on their own. Antiseptic medications are available as a rinse to speed healing slightly.
There are also gels available to place on the mouth ulcer. These gels can reduce pain and provide a temporary “skin” over the ulcer to soothe the pain. They must be reapplied several times daily, particularly after eating or drinking.
As mentioned, avoid spicy or abrasive foods when you have a canker sore. They can irritate the sore and make it more painful. They can also make it last longer. Be careful when you bite, so you don’t accidentally bite down on the ulcer, which may swell.
Cold sores need treatment with an antiviral medication you can get from your doctor. The medication may be in pill form or a topical cream you apply to the cold sore several times daily.
See your doctor if a cold sore lasts for weeks or comes with a high fever or eye irritation. The virus can cause corneal irritation, eyeball irritation, and, in extreme cases, vision loss.
Sun exposure can cause fever blister outbreaks, so wear sunscreen on your face. Also, children should be checked by a doctor if they frequently get cold sores. They can lead to a loss of appetite, drooling, and high fevers in children.
Because a virus causes cold sores, you cannot get them from braces. They also form outside your mouth, where your braces don’t have contact (unless you wear headgear).
Canker sores are different. They can be caused by injury or irritation. You may get them right after getting your braces because your mouth is sensitive.
You should stop getting canker sores as you get used to your braces. Use dental wax around the area irritating your mouth ulcer to reduce pain.
If you have trouble with mouth sores, contact us at Woodhill Dental Specialties. We may have treatments that can help you keep from getting mouth sores. We can also check whether your braces are causing canker sores.
We should check if your child frequently gets cold or canker sores. Schedule an appointment to speak with our dentist and orthodontists in Dallas, TX, and Rockwall, TX!
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