Management of Mouth Ulceration and Infections
Mouth ulceration is common and affects many people at some stage of their life. In most instances we do not know what causes mouth ulceration. It is important however that if you have an ulcer which does not heal within a few weeks, that you see a specialist who regularly treats oral disease, such as an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon. It is important to exclude a mouth cancer which can first present as an ulcer or abnormal area in the mouth and this is especially important if you smoke or drink large quantities of alcohol.
There are many non sinister causes for mouth ulceration, some of these are due to generalised conditions which affect the whole body such as inflammatory bowel diseases (like Crohns disease).Other causes may be due to medication which you take or reactions with food or even gum diseases.
Most mouth ulceration should be looked at by a specialist who can arrange appropriate investigation to exclude serious causes. Diagnosis may involve a biopsy which means that a small sample of one of the ulcers is taken and sent for analysis by a pathologist. Once a diagnosis is made treatment can be safely arranged.