Although scientists disagree on what causes many mouth sores, the fact is most people have experienced at least one mouth sore in their life. Fever blisters and mouth sores are painful business. Once you’ve discovered that you have a sore, you know you will be uncomfortable for days to come. Keeping teeth brushed well and using antibacterial mouthwash helps to reduce the frequency of an oral mouth sore, but not much will prevent the onset of a fever blister. The severity of fever blisters can be lessened by getting a prescription for penciclovir, acyclovir or famciclovir as soon as the area begins to tingle or burn in the least. Taking one of these prescription medications immediately will help to reduce the length of time that the fever blister will remain and the severity or size of the blister.
Since fever blisters are caused by a virus, no amount of washing or keeping the mouth clean will stave off the blister. For those who suffer from many fever blisters in a year, some physicians are recommending that they take the prescription medications on a daily basis to prevent or reduce the amount of outbreaks. Although the virus that causes fever blisters is contagious, mouth and canker sores are not. It is suspected that bacteria is the cause of most mouth and canker sores. The mouth sores can appear as gray, white or red spots on the mouth, gums or tongue. The sores are painful but can be treated and relief is only a few days away. When mouth pain is severe, a few days can be a long time. Topical anesthetics and antimicrobial mouth rinses help to kill the bacteria responsible for the outbreak. Often when a mouth sore occurs, there is more than one. Foods that are salty or spicy can cause intense pain and should be avoided during an outbreak.
Tetracycline is a prescription that can help to reduce the infection, but relief is still a couple of days away even with treatment. An anesthetic such as lidocaine might be prescribed to reduce pain and can be dabbed directly on the sore. To begin treating the sore the minute you suspect an outbreak, rinse mouth out 3 times a day with hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is swished or held in the mouth and bubbles while it attacks the infection. When the bubbling has stopped, rinse mouth thoroughly with water. You can also rinse mouth with milk of magnesia to coat the sore and stop the burning temporarily.
Herbal remedies and treatments are sometimes used to reduce the pain of mouth sores. Among these are calendula or goldenseal tea, myrrh, bearberry, eucalyptus, St. John’s Wort, sage, raspberry, peppermint, licorice, cankerroot, sage, wild geranium, echinacea, chamomile, aloe Vera juice or tea tree oil. Many of these can be made into a tea and swished around the mouth before swallowing or spitting out.
Some medical experts agree that drinking plenty of water during an outbreak, taking vitamins always, and reducing the amount of stress in life can help ease the frequency and length of the mouth sore outbreaks.
