What are the common types of oral lesions? What are the symptoms and causes of canker sores, cold sores, leukoplakia, and oral thrush? Find the answers to these questions and more in this comprehensive guide.

Understanding Oral Lesions

Oral lesions are a common occurrence and can be caused by a variety of factors, including viruses, fungi, bacterial infections, ill-fitting dentures, sharp tooth edges, or loose orthodontic wires. These lesions can manifest in different forms and exhibit diverse symptoms. In this article, we will explore the four main types of oral lesions, their symptoms, causes, and available treatment options.

Canker Sores

Canker sores are one of the most prevalent types of oral lesions. They can appear on the tongue, inside the cheeks, gumline, and lips. While the exact cause of canker sores is not fully understood, the consensus is that the immune system plays a role. Factors such as acidic foods, mouth injuries, hormonal changes, and emotional stress are believed to trigger the development of canker sores.

Symptoms of Canker Sores

Canker sores typically appear as shallow, round ulcers. They generally last between seven to ten days and then resolve on their own.

Treatment for Canker Sores

Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent or make canker sores disappear completely. However, you can alleviate the pain by rinsing with warm water, avoiding spicy or acidic foods, and using over-the-counter pain relievers.

Cold Sores

Also known as fever blisters, cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus. The virus is transmitted through saliva or skin-to-skin contact. When a person is initially infected, the virus typically remains dormant. However, it can emerge due to various triggers, such as a cold, fever, or emotional stress.

Symptoms of Cold Sores

Cold sores appear as a cluster of tiny blisters on the lips.

Treatment for Cold Sores

There is no cure for the herpes simplex virus that causes cold sores, but there are treatments available to help manage the symptoms and reduce the duration of outbreaks. Antiviral medications, topical creams, and home remedies can all be effective in treating cold sores.

Leukoplakia

Leukoplakia is a condition characterized by the formation of white or gray patches on the tongue, inside the cheeks, or other areas of the mouth. These patches are often caused by chronic irritation or inflammation, and they may be precancerous in some cases.

Symptoms of Leukoplakia

The main symptom of leukoplakia is the presence of white or gray patches in the mouth that do not wipe off easily.

Treatment for Leukoplakia

The treatment for leukoplakia depends on the underlying cause and the severity of the condition. In some cases, the patches may resolve on their own if the source of the irritation is removed. In more serious cases, the patches may need to be surgically removed or treated with laser therapy.

Oral Thrush

Oral thrush is a fungal infection that can occur in the mouth. It is caused by an overgrowth of the Candida fungus, which is naturally present in the mouth. Oral thrush is more common in individuals with weakened immune systems, such as those taking certain medications or those with certain medical conditions.

Symptoms of Oral Thrush

The main symptom of oral thrush is the presence of white, creamy-looking patches on the tongue, inner cheeks, or other areas of the mouth. These patches may be accompanied by a burning sensation or pain.

Treatment for Oral Thrush

Oral thrush is typically treated with antifungal medications, either in the form of lozenges, gels, or oral rinses. In severe cases, or for individuals with weakened immune systems, more aggressive treatment may be required.

Importance of Regular Dental Checkups

Regular dental checkups are crucial for the early detection and treatment of oral lesions. During these visits, your dentist will thoroughly examine your entire mouth, including your lips and teeth, and may perform additional tests, such as a biopsy, to determine the nature of any lesions present. By addressing oral lesions promptly, you can reduce the risk of complications and ensure the best possible outcome.

What are Oral Lesions? Symptoms and Causes

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More about these conditions

Signs and symptoms


The signs and symptoms of precancerous and cancerous oral lesions may include:

• A sore in the mouth that doesn’t heal within two weeks.

• White or red lesions or ulcers on the tongue, gums, or lining of the mouth that do not go away.

• Soreness or pain in the mouth that persists.

• A lump or thickening in the cheek area.

• Numbness of tongue or other areas of the mouth.

Your evaluation


See your dental professional about any sore or pain in the mouth that doesn’t go away within 2 weeks. He or she will ask questions about your health history and dental history. Your entire mouth, including your lips and teeth, will be checked. A biopsy or other tests may also be done.

Biopsy


This is the best way to find out if a lesion is precancerous or cancerous. During a biopsy, the area around the lesion will be numbed. A part of the lesion will then be removed and sent to a lab and checked under a microscope.

Other tests


Some other tests may be helpful in making the diagnosis. They include:

• Staining. The area in your mouth around the lesion may be stained with a special dye. The dye binds to precancerous and cancerous cells, staining only these cells. After a few hours, the color from the dye will disappear.

• Cytology. Your dental professional may scrape the surface of the lesion to obtain cells. The cells are then sent to a lab and checked for cancer.

Treatment


Your treatment will depend on the nature of the oral lesion. Your dental or medical professional can tell you about types of treatment.The standard of care for oral cavity cancer treatment is surgery. A combination of surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy may be indicated for advanced cancer cases.

Prevention


The best way to catch problems early is to have regular oral checkups. To help reduce your risk for oral cancer, follow the tips below:

• Get oral checkups. Visit your dentist at least two times a year.

• Don’t use tobacco. Tobacco use increases the risk for oral cancer. It’s never too late to stop using tobacco.

• Limit alcohol. If you drink a lot of alcohol, you may be at a higher risk for oral cancer.

• Eat a healthy diet. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables may lower your risk for oral cancer.

• Use good oral hygiene. Brush and floss your teeth each day. If you wear dentures, keep them clean.

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Lesion In Mouth: Symptoms, Causes And Treatments

Mouth lesions are very common. They can be caused by viruses, fungi, bacterial infections, dentures that don’t fit correctly, sharp tooth edges, or a loose orthodontic wire. Read on to learn about the common conditions that can cause mouth lesions along with their symptoms and treatment options.

4 Types of Mouth Lesions

Canker Sores

Canker sores can emerge in multiple areas of the mouth, including the tongue, inside the cheeks, gumline, and lips. While medical professionals aren’t exactly sure what causes them, the consensus is that the immune system is related. Acidic foods, a mouth injury, hormonal changes, and emotional stress are believed to trigger canker sores.

Signs and Symptoms: Canker sores look shallow and round. They last approximately seven to 10 days and then go away on their own.

Treatment: There’s no way to prevent or make canker sores disappear. You can reduce the pain, though, by rinsing with warm water, avoiding spicy or acidic foods, and relieving pain with over-the-counter pain relievers.

Cold Sores

Also known as a fever blister, the herpes simplex virus causes these sores. The virus is transmitted via saliva or skin contact. The sores appear as bunches of tiny blisters on the lips. The virus typically remains dormant when a person is initially infected. Sores can emerge due to various reasons, such as a cold or fever, emotional stress, overexposure to the sun, or even dental treatment.

Signs and Symptoms: The initial clinical symptoms of herpes simplex virus include nausea, vomiting, headaches, a sore throat, fever, and blisters—vesicular lesions—on the gum tissue and oral cavity. These symptoms typically occur about a week after exposure, and then it will be inactive until stress or a change in the immune system causes sores to reappear.

Treatment: Unfortunately, there is no cure for the virus that causes cold sores. Treatment options to speed up healing include the medicines Valtrex, Zovirax, and Famvir.

Oral Thrush

Thrush occurs when the Candida albicans fungus collects in the mouth. The painful lesions might bleed on contact. Some medications may cause thrush as a side-effect, but it also occurs in babies, people with compromised immune systems, people who wear dentures or use inhalers with corticosteroids.

Signs and Symptoms: The signs of thrush are red and inflamed lesions or white lesions on the tongue, cheeks, gums, or tonsils. They can be painful and bleed on contact. Other symptoms include loss of taste and dry mouth.

Treatment: Treatments can range from antifungal medication, diet changes, improved oral hygiene, and saltwater rinses.

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD)

Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease is caused by a virus, like cold sores. This virus is common in young children under five and typically not very serious. However, it is very contagious. The CDC advises parents to sanitize surfaces and wash the child’s hands and yours often.

Signs and Symptoms: Symptoms include painful red lesions on the inner cheeks and tongue, a red rash on the hands and feet, fever, sore throat, and general malaise. Symptoms emerge three to six days after contraction.

Treatment: The virus usually runs its course in seven to 10 days. A topical oral anesthetic can help with mouth sore pain, while pain medications like acetaminophen can relieve some symptoms like pain and fever.

Prevent the Spread

To avoid spreading the viruses that cause mouth sores, don’t kiss anyone or share utensils or drinking glasses when the lesions or blisters are present. Maintaining good oral health is a good start when it comes to preventing oral infections from forming. Brush and clean between your teeth with floss, flossers, or interdental toothbrushes at least twice each day to prevent plaque, gingivitis, tartar build-up, cavities, and bad breath. And remember to schedule regular checkups with your dental professionals.

causes and treatment (Well, you and an ulcer! Where do sores in the mouth come from and how to get rid of them)

Each of us met with mouth ulcers at least once in our lives. These unpleasant pimples can occur almost anywhere in the oral cavity: on the cheeks, tongue, gums, palate. For what reason they arise, what to do with them and why in the spring and during stressful situations we are vulnerable to their appearance, says Ekaterina Andreevna Smirnova, Candidate of Medical Sciences, dentist at the Studio32 Expert Dentistry Center.

Ulcers in stomatitis

Sores on the mucous membrane in the mouth can appear for several reasons. One of them is a decrease in human immunity. The inhibition of the protective properties of the body may be associated with seasonal changes, acute stressful situations, prolonged emotional overstrain, as well as malfunctions of the endocrine system or systemic diseases, such as, for example, tuberculosis and syphilis. It is with the suppression of immunity that the appearance of stomatitis and herpetic sores is associated.

Aphthous stomatitis is one of the most common types of lesions of the oral mucosa. White or yellow in the center and red along the edges of sores from 3 to 10 mm (scientifically called aphthae) can appear on the tongue, inside of the cheeks, palate and at the base of the gums. As a rule, they cause moderate soreness and heal within 7-10 days. But there are also larger aphthae that hurt a lot, heal longer and require more careful attention and treatment.

Aphthous stomatitis is not an infection, therefore it is not transmitted by kissing or through dishes. What can not be said about herpetic stomatitis. It is caused by a virus and is therefore extremely contagious. Unlike aphthous, herpetic stomatitis is not manifested by sores, but by painful vesicles that pour out on the oral mucosa.

Ulcers due to trauma

Another reason for the appearance of ulcers is trauma to the oral mucosa, as a result of which the infection enters the wound. Most often this occurs if a person, for example, bites his nails, or has a habit of biting the tip of a pen or pencil. At risk are lovers of seeds and hard toothbrushes. It is a misconception that the harder the brush, the cleaner the teeth will be. Not at all, but injuring the gums and causing inflammation is very real. Ulcers caused by microtraumas usually occur on the tongue and gums, that is, in those places where there is contact with the aggressor from the outside.

The mucosa can also be injured due to malocclusion. Wounds on the cheeks and on the side of the tongue can cause anxiety when a person constantly bites his cheek and tongue. In addition, during a stressful situation during a period of psycho-emotional stress, in which we are all now due to a pandemic and quarantine, some people experience uncontrolled biting, a kind of “laying their cheeks”, tongue or lips between their teeth. These factors can exacerbate the appearance of wounds during the isolation period.

Manifestation of inflammatory processes in the gums

Ulcers often include inflammation of the gums, in particular the formation of a fistula. If a person has chronic inflammation on the root of the tooth, during the period of its exacerbation, a wound may appear on the gum, so the abscess on the root of the tooth opens the fistulous passage outward. Here, of course, one cannot do without professional treatment and elimination of the root cause.

How to treat “pimples” on mucous membranes

The appearance of sores in the mouth is not a reason to panic, but you should not leave everything to chance either. If the wounds are small and do not cause much concern, then they do not require special treatment. Will be gone in 1-2 weeks. At home, you can rinse your mouth with a decoction of chamomile, which has a mild antiseptic effect. It must be remembered that excessive use of antiseptics can cause burns to the oral mucosa. It is definitely impossible to “fill in” with chlorhexidine or rinse your mouth with hydrogen peroxide. Miramistin works quite well, this antiseptic is designed just for mucous membranes, so it acts sparingly. Alternatively, you can use antiseptic prophylactic rinses such as Listerine, Forest Balsam, Paradontex, and so on. Of the gels, Holisal, Metrogil Denta works well.

Drugs should be used in a rationed and yet under control. Even in isolation due to the coronavirus, you can consult with a specialist remotely. For example, on Yandex Health there is an opportunity to ask the dentist your questions online. Based on the description of the symptoms and photos, the doctor will be able to give recommendations on therapy.

It is necessary to consult a dentist if there is no improvement within a week, if the ulcers are large, very painful or accompanied by fever.

Until recovery, spicy, acidic and rough foods should be avoided. It is better to give up chewing gum, and do not brush your teeth with hard brushes.

If sores in the mouth occur periodically, it is worth thinking about the correct selection of preventive hygiene products: pastes and brushes.

Do not forget about strengthening the immune system, the state of which is closely related to the state of our nervous system. Against the background of stress and tension, not only sores can occur, but also bleeding gums – this is what was called scurvy in the Soviet Union in wartime, and in modern dentistry it is called gingivitis. The elimination of gingivitis, as well as aphthous stomatitis, largely depends on the normalization of personal oral hygiene.

All about mouth ulcers – causes, treatment, prevention

Mouth ulcers are quite common, but with normal immunity, they usually do not reach an impressive size. The most common ulcerative disease of the oral mucosa is stomatitis. These are well-known white sores in the mouth, which cause severe pain and burning when eating. In addition, the formation of mouth ulcers can be caused by many types of bacteria and viruses. Treatment of ulcers is carried out after finding out the cause of their appearance and the pathogen. The list below lists the diseases that cause ulcers, in order of decreasing prevalence.

The most common types of mouth ulcers

1. Aphthous stomatitis (recurrent form) – characterized by regular rashes of one or more small white sores on the oral mucosa. They can be located on the palate, cheeks, mucous membranes of the lips and tongue (except for the gums). The healing of the rashes takes place within 7 days, and their regularity ranges from once a month to twice a year (seasonal exacerbations).
2. Hypertiform stomatitis are numerous sores resembling herpes. They are located in islands on the lower surface of the tongue and the bottom of the mouth.
3. Candidiasis (thrush) can also cause ulcers covered with a whitish film. More common in children or immunocompromised people
4. Traumatic ulcer or erosion – occurs due to damage to the mucous membrane. With continued trauma, the ulcer expands and becomes persistent. Occurs after trauma with dental instruments, a hard toothbrush, biting the tongue or cheek, sometimes from smoking (on the lips).
5. Necrotizing gingivostomatitis is an acute and dangerous viral disease characterized by ulcers with a greenish coating and a bleeding bottom. The gum tissue swells and bleeds. Ulcers are most often localized on the inner surface of the cheeks, palatine arches and tonsils. There is a sharp unpleasant odor from the mouth.
6. Zayeda – ulceration at the corners of the mouth. They occur with malocclusion due to the accumulation of saliva and bacteria, with a lack of vitamins, as well as with immunodeficiency.
7. Prosthetic ulcers – appear with improper selection of the prosthesis or poor care of it.

General diseases

Mouth ulcers can be a symptom of severe general diseases of the body. Most often it is tuberculosis, syphilis and HIV. If ulcers with tuberculosis and syphilis are immediately distinguishable by a specialist in their appearance, then with HIV, ordinary candidiasis or stomatitis often develops, quickly taking on exaggerated forms with perforated ulcers or damage to bone tissue. It should be borne in mind that ulcers in severe diseases are large and deep penetration, so you should not suspect terrible things when small ulcers appear.

Mouth ulcer treatment

Ordinary stomatitis is easy to recognize on its own, but other types of ulcers require a visit to a specialist. The doctor conducts a bacteriological examination, makes a differential diagnosis and prescribes the optimal treatment regimen depending on the cause. In chronic ulcers, measures are necessarily taken to strengthen the immune system, fortify and harden. In addition, special treatment is prescribed, most often local, but in some cases general. In advanced situations, surgical intervention is performed.

Mouth ulcers caused by bacteria (tuberculosis bacillus, streptococci, etc.) are treated with appropriate antibiotics. Traumatic ulcers disappear within a week if irritating factors are eliminated: a chipped tooth, smoking, a hard brush, hot, sour or spicy food, etc. Stomatitis is as common a chronic disease as sinusitis. At the moment, there is no method of treatment that allows you to get rid of it once and for all. But folk methods of treatment are quite effective. In case of ulceration of herpetic elements, treatment with antiviral drugs is effective.

We do not conduct an online examination, because the reason can only be determined by a visual examination in a doctor in a specialized office.