Mouth Sores and Infections

Mouth sores are generally caused by a few conditions. They include ill-fitting dentures, braces, the sharp edge of a broken tooth or jagged teeth, bacteria, fungal or viral infection, a disease or they can be a symptom of an underlying disease or illness.

In all cases, the mouth sore will begin as a crack or lesion in the skin. They can also first appear as swollen red bumps. In both cases, if the lesion or bump gets infected it will become a more serious and more painful mouth sore.

Cold sores are a type of mouth sore and they are caused by the virus herpes. Cold sores appear on the lips, usually on the outside, but in severe cases, the sore can also spread to the inside of the mouth.

There are standard creams which can be bought in the pharmacy and are proven in their treatment of cold sores. One such cream is Zovirax. The key with this type of treatment is to catch the cold sore early. The early sign of a cold sore appearing includes a tingling in the lip.

Mouth sores can also be a result of sexually transmitted disease, in particular syphilis. Initially syphilis will cause swollen red bumps to appear and these may then disappear after a period of several weeks.

Up to ten weeks later, more severe sores, like a white mucous patch, can appear if the syphilis is not treated. Syphilis is highly contagious at this stage, which is why is it important to also treat it as early as possible.

The same is true of mouth sores which appear on the inside of the mouth, on the tongue, lip or palate. It is important to catch them early in order to avoid further infection.

Mouth sores can also be a sign that an underlying illness exists and it is that which is causing the infection. An underlying infection could be something like hand-foot-mouth disease.

It could also be an inflammatory disease such as Bechet’s Syndrome which causes swelling of the organs, eyes, genitals, skin, joints and blood vessels. People with celiac disease, an intolerance to gluten, can also develop mouth sores.

Some skin diseases may sometimes, but not always provoke sores in the mouth.

All of these disorders or infection can be treated and in all cases, if the mouth sores persist longer than ten days, it is advisable to see a doctor.