Understanding the Causes of Cold and Canker Sores

By Dr. Ronald K. Wagner

On and off one might be faced with ailments that can be painful and hard to bear. Mouth sores are one such problem that not only are painful but inconveniences you in your daily life, while eating or simply talking. Mouth sores typically can be of two types, cold sores and canker sores. Though the nature of the ailment is the same, their causes may be attributed to different reasons and health conditions.

Difference between a cold sore and a canker sore

Cold Sores

Cold sores typically form outside the mouth and happen as the name depicts due to cold and related virus.

Canker Sores

As opposed to cold sores, canker sores occur inside the mouth. They are small and occur as an ulcer and can be extremely painful. While the causes of formation of these cankerous sores are not known, it is believed that excessive consumption of acidic food often cause the sores to occur and multiply. Sometimes sudden injury to the tissues in the gums could also lead to their occurrence.

Unlike cold sores, canker sores are not easy to deal with. There are two types of canker sores – simple and those that can be not so simple. Simple canker sores are the most common type of canker sores and can be treated rather easily. On the other hand, the serious canker sores typically happen to those who have had it before. The ongoing or recurrence of the canker sores is a manifestation of a bigger problem at hand, which one often tends to ignore. Often dentists or doctors attribute the occurrence and reappearance of canker sores to deficiency of major vitamins in the body like vitamin B-12, zinc, folic acid, iron. It can also be the cause of nutrition deficiency or various gastrointestinal tract diseases.

Whatever the causes of these sores, they are extremely painful to bear. These fleshy and watery growths in the insides of the cheek, tongue or on the palate can make life unbearable. Often the pain and discomfort results in fever and temperature as well.

Treatment for canker sores

How can one treat canker sores? If you feel that the pain and discomfort is getting unbearable, it may help to visit your dentist. If the problem isn’t as serious, one may look at over-the-counter medications and oral rinses that might temporarily relieve you of the pain as well as kill the infection, if the cause is superficial. However, if the sores are due to other serious problem, continued use of these rinses or medications may not do much in terms of relief; rather prolonged use could often enhance the irritation and make the situation worse.

If even after over the counter medications there isn’t much in terms of relief, it perhaps is a sign that there may be more that what meets the eye. In such a scenario, do not waste time and consult your dentist to get appropriate treatment.

Causes and Remedies for Bad Breath

Posted by Ronald Wagner on Dec 20, 2011 in Blog | Comments Off

 

Bad BreathTaking care of ourselves is one of the most important things that we can do. While we may not realize it, we still fall short or become lazy in some areas that concern it. One of these areas is our mouths. Many of us take pretty good care of our teeth by brushing them every day, but fail to take care of the rest of our mouths. As a result it can manifest itself as bad breath (known as halitosis). Bad breath isn’t just caused by eating too much garlic at lunch or forgetting to use some mouthwash before heading out; it can be a sign of fundamental errors in the way we take care of our mouths.

Causes and Remedies

1. One obvious cause of bad breath is simply: food. The things that we eat leave remains in our mouths and can smell poor. Onions and garlic come to mind for most people. The reason that these smell so strong is that the enzymes in our mouths can’t break down the aromatic compounds and so the stinky garlic or onion smell persists until you swallow all of the remaining chemicals. An easy remedy for this is brushing your teeth and rinsing very well or simply not eating these foods at all. For simple bad breath not caused by food (maybe you haven’t brushed your teeth in a few hours) try a glass of water or a slice of bread.

2. Other causes of bad breath can be a little more serious. Many people brush their teeth but neglect to floss. By not flossing you do not clean the spaces between your teeth as well as your gums. These areas act just like your teeth and contain bacteria and plaque that needs to be removed. Flossing will remove this and can help reduce bad breath. Your tongue falls into this category as well. Brushing your tongue or using a tongue scraper will help keep it clean and reduce bad breath.

3. Another cause of bad breath is oral infection or colonization by harmful bacteria, especially on our tonsils or other areas of our mouths. If you brush your teeth, floss, use mouthwash, and don’t eat stinky foods and still seem to have poor breath it is imperative you see a dentist or doctor immediately as this can be a sign of a serious condition.

Being aware of what causes bad breath can help you prevent it. Many people over react to their breath because they perceive that others can sense it as much as they can, but in reality many people can’t even notice. Chew a piece of sugarless cinnamon gum after meals or brush your teeth, keep your tongue clean, and use a healthy mouthwash and general bad breath (halitosis) should easily be avoided.

A Painless Method of Pearly White Teeth

Posted by Ronald Wagner on Aug 8, 2011 

Your smile is your most precious possession. You can win your way with that winning smile of yours that reveals a perfect set of shiny white teeth. You can maintain the whiteness throughout life with the help of Zoom whitening. Zoom whitening is the most advanced in technology when it comes to giving your teeth the much needed shine.

What causes discoloration?

Often your teeth may get discolored due to a bad diet, or after effects of medication. Smoking or excessive consumption of caffeine based drinks can also lead to adamant stains that may be difficult to remove, and make your teeth look yellow and ugly. Not only discolorations, but the enamel of your teeth can also get affected and become rough.

The best possible option is to do away with the discoloration and improve the quality of the teeth with the help of Zoom whitening. Unlike other teeth whitening procedures that claims to giving back the luster of the teeth, Zoom whitening treatment is a procedure that can be done be done at the dentist and is the fastest and the most effective way to get back your winning smile.

Here are some of the advantages of Zoom teeth whitening:

Most of us shudder at the thought of having to do to a dentist. Zoom whitening promises to be a painless method and is one of the best technologies to get back the natural look of your teeth.

The technique that is used in Zoom is free of any kind of side effects that can adversely affect your health.

During the procedure the exposed skin around the mouth and the gums is covered properly, and the ultra violet ray is focused only on the teeth.

While it is necessary to make a trip to the dentist, a one time sitting of 45 minutes to an hour is enough to complete the treatment.

The procedure is quick and lasts for almost a year. One just has to take care of his or her teeth with a gel that supports the technique.

Most dentists feel that it is the most effective way to whiten stained and discolored teeth. The treatment promises to make your teeth at least 8 shades whiter than what one has when they come in for the treatment.

The procedure is administered by a licensed dentist.

Zoom whitening is the easiest and the fastest way to get back that winning smile.

You can go in for a free consultation with a practitioner who uses the technique and find out more about the advantages of zoom whitening.