{"tag":"gums","articles":{"blog\/life\/dealing-with-chronic-mouth-sores":{"key":"blog\/life\/dealing-with-chronic-mouth-sores","type":"article","published":true,"meta":{"createdAt":"2022-07-01T12:19:11+02:00","publishedAt":"2022-07-01T12:19:11+02:00","group":null,"category":"blog","subcategory":"life","slug":"dealing-with-chronic-mouth-sores"},"content":{"en":{"slug":"dealing-with-chronic-mouth-sores","title":"Dealing with chronic mouth sores","intro":"\u003Cp\u003EA bit my my cheek recenlty \u2013 and then it healed.\nSome time later I cut my lip while playing with Luna \u2013 and for the following week I was \u003Cem\u003Eslightly annoyed\u003C\/em\u003E by the wound.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThat might sound awfully dull, but for me that\u0027s a huge reason to celebrate.\nCause for years whenever I got even a tiniest wound in my oral cavity,\nchances were that I\u0027d spend that week barely talking, barely eating,\nI couldn\u0027t kiss or have sex, or sometimes the pain would get so awful I wouldn\u0027t even be able to think.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Csvg xmlns=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\u0022 style=\u0022display: none;\u0022\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E","content":"\u003Cp\u003EA bit my my cheek recenlty \u2013 and then it healed.\nSome time later I cut my lip while playing with Luna \u2013 and for the following week I was \u003Cem\u003Eslightly annoyed\u003C\/em\u003E by the wound.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThat might sound awfully dull, but for me that\u0027s a huge reason to celebrate.\nCause for years whenever I got even a tiniest wound in my oral cavity,\nchances were that I\u0027d spend that week barely talking, barely eating,\nI couldn\u0027t kiss or have sex, or sometimes the pain would get so awful I wouldn\u0027t even be able to think.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI have (had?) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aphthous_stomatitis\u0022\u003Erecurrent aphthous stomatitis\u003C\/a\u003E.\nIt\u0027s benign and not contagious, but for it\u0027s a real pain in the\u2026 well, mouth.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut it did get better over the years, so I\u0027ve decided it would be good to share my story\nand possibly help others that might struggle with similar issues.\nBut a quick disclaimer first:\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Ethis is not a medical advice \u2013 I\u0027m just a person sharing their own experience,\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Ethis is not an ad of some pseudoscientific magical remedy \u2013 I\u0027m not trying to sell you anything.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EWhy is it so hard to fix?`\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo quote Wikipedia:\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022blockquote ml-4 pl-4 border-left\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe cause is not entirely clear, but is thought to be multifactorial.\nIt has been suggested that aphthous stomatitis is not a single entity,\nbut rather a group of conditions with different causes.\nMultiple research studies have attempted to identify a causative organism,\nbut aphthous stomatitis appears to be non-contagious, non-infectious, and not sexually transmissible.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u0027ve seen multiple GPs, dentists, laryngologists in three different countries about my problem.\nNeither was able to fix my problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EThings that weren\u0027t \u003Cem\u003Ereally\u003C\/em\u003E helping\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELots of advice I tried implementing didn\u0027t really help at all.\nAvoiding spicy food, avoiding lemons, rinsing with baking soda, things like that.\nMaybe it\u0027ll work for you. But for me it didn\u0027t.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EPain management\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI was recommended a thing called \u003Cem\u003ESolcoseryl\u003C\/em\u003E in one pharmacy \u2013 and it\u0027s honestly the best thing I\u0027ve ever tried for pain management.\nIt numbs the spot almost immediately and its paste texture makes it stay in place for a long time and prevent further irritation.\nMarvellous! The next best thing to not having ulcers at all.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EUnfortunately, it was available in Poland and Germany, but it\u0027s not a thing in the Netherlands.\nWhen I moved here I had to switch to a thing called \u003Cem\u003EEvisense Pro Aften Gel\u003C\/em\u003E, which does a\u2026 decent job. Not perfect, but decent.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOh, and I drink tea from chamomile and echinacea. Helps a lot!\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003ESodium lauryl sulfate\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI learned that there\u0027s a compound called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sodium_dodecyl_sulfate\u0022\u003Esodium lauryl sulfate\u003C\/a\u003E,\nwhich can cause irritation and might lead to canker sores.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022blockquote ml-4 pl-4 border-left\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA safety concern has been raised on the basis of several studies regarding the effect of toothpaste SDS\non aphthous ulcers, commonly referred to as canker or white sores.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe thing is, this compound is present in almost every toothpaste on the market. Yup\u2026\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESo I switched to those few toothpastes that don\u0027t contain it\n(or fluoride, just in case, cause apparently it might have a similar effect on some people).\nAnd although it was in no way a rigorous scientific study on my part,\nI can tell you, annectodally, that it helped massively.\nThe sores didn\u0027t disappear entirely, but they got quite a bit less frequent in general,\nand there was about a half fewer of those that turned excruciatingly painful.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EBrushing my teeth. A lot.\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOf course I had been brushing my teeth regularly. I\u0027m not a person who\u0027d give zero shits about their oral hygiene\nonly to complain that they have some magical, unexplained problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI switched to an electric toothbrush, I kept picking the softest brushes available.\nThat was helping, but not solving the problem.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut one day I had a thought: if they recommend avoiding citruses cause they make mouth more acidic,\nand baking soda is supposed to help because it\u0027s making the enviromnent more basic,\nmaybe I should minimise the time my oral cavity is exposed to any weird pH fluctuations and bits of food left over.\nThere\u0027s always gonna be minor wounds and bites happening, but maybe in the proper environment,\nthey\u0027d simply heal properly instead of turning into an ulcer?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI used to brush my teeth twice a day for two minutes, as recommended, plus whenever I felt I needed to.\nBut then I made it a habit to brush as soon as I\u0027ve eaten something. Anything. Even a tiniest snack.\nAnything that could leave bits in between teeth, anything that could change the pH.\nJust leave as little time possible for the potential sores to develop in less than ideal conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd you know what? It\u0027s been a game changer.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u0027d still get \u003Cem\u003Esome\u003C\/em\u003E sores, but nowhere near what I had had before.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EFlossing. Finally.\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDentists keep recommending flossing. A lot. And for good reasons, it\u0027s obviously super important and beneficial.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe thing is, though, for me it was a torture. The amount of pain and bleeding it caused was terrible.\nWhich speaks volumes of how bad my gums went because of the sores. Or how bad my sores went because of my gums.\nHonestly, it\u0027s a vicious cycle \u2013 but I finally found a way to break it.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EObviously, the steps described above helped with flossing pain as well. But it still wasn\u0027t nice.\nThen I tried those water flossing machines, one with a \u201csensitive\u201d setting.\nAnd I also found out there\u0027s a sensitive floss in Kruidvat\n(although only bought it a few times and then it disappeared from the shelves?),\nwhich is more like a cotton thread than a fly line.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThey all worked wonders. After a few months of daily flossing with them,\nmy gums got healthy again and I was able to switch to regular floss.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003ESumming up\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECanker sores were ruining my life for years, ever since I can remember.\nThe solution in my case was surprisingly simple, even though it took me ages to discover it:\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Eavoid toothpastes with sodium lauryl sulfate and fluoride,\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Ebrush after every meal or snack, as soon as possible,\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Efind a floss for sensitive gums and use it a lot,\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Efind the best available pain management gel and always keep it on you, just in case.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Csvg xmlns=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\u0022 style=\u0022display: none;\u0022\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E","tags":["aphtosis","mouth sore","oral cavity","pain","brushing teeth","gums","flossing"],"hasMore":true,"image":null,"introLite":"\u003Cp\u003EA bit my my cheek recenlty \u2013 and then it healed.\nSome time later I cut my lip while playing with Luna \u2013 and for the following week I was \u003Cem\u003Eslightly annoyed\u003C\/em\u003E by the wound.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThat might sound awfully dull, but for me that\u0027s a huge reason to celebrate.\nCause for years whenever I got even a tiniest wound in my oral cavity,\nchances were that I\u0027d spend that week barely talking, barely eating,\nI couldn\u0027t kiss or have sex, or sometimes the pain would get so awful I wouldn\u0027t even be able to think.\u003C\/p\u003E","contentLite":"\u003Cp\u003EA bit my my cheek recenlty \u2013 and then it healed.\nSome time later I cut my lip while playing with Luna \u2013 and for the following week I was \u003Cem\u003Eslightly annoyed\u003C\/em\u003E by the wound.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThat might sound awfully dull, but for me that\u0027s a huge reason to celebrate.\nCause for years whenever I got even a tiniest wound in my oral cavity,\nchances were that I\u0027d spend that week barely talking, barely eating,\nI couldn\u0027t kiss or have sex, or sometimes the pain would get so awful I wouldn\u0027t even be able to think.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI have (had?) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aphthous_stomatitis\u0022\u003Erecurrent aphthous stomatitis\u003C\/a\u003E.\nIt\u0027s benign and not contagious, but for it\u0027s a real pain in the\u2026 well, mouth.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut it did get better over the years, so I\u0027ve decided it would be good to share my story\nand possibly help others that might struggle with similar issues.\nBut a quick disclaimer first:\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Ethis is not a medical advice \u2013 I\u0027m just a person sharing their own experience,\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Ethis is not an ad of some pseudoscientific magical remedy \u2013 I\u0027m not trying to sell you anything.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EWhy is it so hard to fix?`\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo quote Wikipedia:\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe cause is not entirely clear, but is thought to be multifactorial.\nIt has been suggested that aphthous stomatitis is not a single entity,\nbut rather a group of conditions with different causes.\nMultiple research studies have attempted to identify a causative organism,\nbut aphthous stomatitis appears to be non-contagious, non-infectious, and not sexually transmissible.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u0027ve seen multiple GPs, dentists, laryngologists in three different countries about my problem.\nNeither was able to fix my problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EThings that weren\u0027t \u003Cem\u003Ereally\u003C\/em\u003E helping\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELots of advice I tried implementing didn\u0027t really help at all.\nAvoiding spicy food, avoiding lemons, rinsing with baking soda, things like that.\nMaybe it\u0027ll work for you. But for me it didn\u0027t.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EPain management\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI was recommended a thing called \u003Cem\u003ESolcoseryl\u003C\/em\u003E in one pharmacy \u2013 and it\u0027s honestly the best thing I\u0027ve ever tried for pain management.\nIt numbs the spot almost immediately and its paste texture makes it stay in place for a long time and prevent further irritation.\nMarvellous! The next best thing to not having ulcers at all.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EUnfortunately, it was available in Poland and Germany, but it\u0027s not a thing in the Netherlands.\nWhen I moved here I had to switch to a thing called \u003Cem\u003EEvisense Pro Aften Gel\u003C\/em\u003E, which does a\u2026 decent job. Not perfect, but decent.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOh, and I drink tea from chamomile and echinacea. Helps a lot!\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003ESodium lauryl sulfate\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI learned that there\u0027s a compound called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sodium_dodecyl_sulfate\u0022\u003Esodium lauryl sulfate\u003C\/a\u003E,\nwhich can cause irritation and might lead to canker sores.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA safety concern has been raised on the basis of several studies regarding the effect of toothpaste SDS\non aphthous ulcers, commonly referred to as canker or white sores.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe thing is, this compound is present in almost every toothpaste on the market. Yup\u2026\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESo I switched to those few toothpastes that don\u0027t contain it\n(or fluoride, just in case, cause apparently it might have a similar effect on some people).\nAnd although it was in no way a rigorous scientific study on my part,\nI can tell you, annectodally, that it helped massively.\nThe sores didn\u0027t disappear entirely, but they got quite a bit less frequent in general,\nand there was about a half fewer of those that turned excruciatingly painful.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EBrushing my teeth. A lot.\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOf course I had been brushing my teeth regularly. I\u0027m not a person who\u0027d give zero shits about their oral hygiene\nonly to complain that they have some magical, unexplained problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI switched to an electric toothbrush, I kept picking the softest brushes available.\nThat was helping, but not solving the problem.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut one day I had a thought: if they recommend avoiding citruses cause they make mouth more acidic,\nand baking soda is supposed to help because it\u0027s making the enviromnent more basic,\nmaybe I should minimise the time my oral cavity is exposed to any weird pH fluctuations and bits of food left over.\nThere\u0027s always gonna be minor wounds and bites happening, but maybe in the proper environment,\nthey\u0027d simply heal properly instead of turning into an ulcer?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI used to brush my teeth twice a day for two minutes, as recommended, plus whenever I felt I needed to.\nBut then I made it a habit to brush as soon as I\u0027ve eaten something. Anything. Even a tiniest snack.\nAnything that could leave bits in between teeth, anything that could change the pH.\nJust leave as little time possible for the potential sores to develop in less than ideal conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd you know what? It\u0027s been a game changer.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u0027d still get \u003Cem\u003Esome\u003C\/em\u003E sores, but nowhere near what I had had before.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EFlossing. Finally.\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDentists keep recommending flossing. A lot. And for good reasons, it\u0027s obviously super important and beneficial.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe thing is, though, for me it was a torture. The amount of pain and bleeding it caused was terrible.\nWhich speaks volumes of how bad my gums went because of the sores. Or how bad my sores went because of my gums.\nHonestly, it\u0027s a vicious cycle \u2013 but I finally found a way to break it.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EObviously, the steps described above helped with flossing pain as well. But it still wasn\u0027t nice.\nThen I tried those water flossing machines, one with a \u201csensitive\u201d setting.\nAnd I also found out there\u0027s a sensitive floss in Kruidvat\n(although only bought it a few times and then it disappeared from the shelves?),\nwhich is more like a cotton thread than a fly line.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThey all worked wonders. After a few months of daily flossing with them,\nmy gums got healthy again and I was able to switch to regular floss.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003ESumming up\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECanker sores were ruining my life for years, ever since I can remember.\nThe solution in my case was surprisingly simple, even though it took me ages to discover it:\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Eavoid toothpastes with sodium lauryl sulfate and fluoride,\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Ebrush after every meal or snack, as soon as possible,\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Efind a floss for sensitive gums and use it a lot,\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003Efind the best available pain management gel and always keep it on you, just in case.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003C\/ul\u003E","words":1031,"readTime":5,"lang":"en"}}}}}