Mouth ulcers

What are mouth ulcers?

Mouth ulcers are small, painful sores inside the mouth. They appear as white, yellow, grey or red round sores in the mouth, tongue, gums, inner cheek and roof of the mouth and can feel pretty uncomfortable. In most people, they heal quickly, without treatment. But some people may notice that they get mouth ulcers more regularly, and might need some help to deal with them.

Who gets mouth ulcers?

Anyone can get mouth ulcers at any stage of their life. They might crop up more often if you feel run down or stressed, and can happen if you accidentally cut or burn your mouth on food and drink. There are multiple types of mouth ulcers, but canker sores (or aphthous ulcers) are the most common. Canker sores can be minor, major and herpetiform. Minor mouth ulcers are fairly common and can be caused by local trauma (such as braces, cuts or hot food), whereas major ulcers take longer to heal and are irregular in shape. Herpetiform, on the other hand, are recurring ulcers that appear in small clusters. They resemble herpes (hence the name) but they’re not associated with them.

How common are mouth ulcers?

Mouth ulcers are very common. It’s been estimated that as many as 25% of the global population have mouth ulcers at any one time.^[1] Some types of ulcers are also more common than others, with 80% of general mouth ulcers being minor canker sores – making them the most common type. ^[2]

What causes mouth ulcers?

There’s no one set cause for mouth ulcers as they can occur for many different reasons. Often they’re caused by a continual irritation to an area of your mouth. For instance, if you keep accidentally biting the inside of your cheek, or you have a sharp tooth that scratches the inside of your mouth.

Changes in hormone levels or vitamin deficiencies can cause them too, as can lifestyle factors such as stopping smoking.

Sometimes what you eat and drink can trigger them. If you scratch your mouth on something sharp or burn the inside of your cheek by drinking your tea before it’s cool enough, these can cause an ulcer to occur.

What are the symptoms of mouth ulcers?

They’re circular sores that usually appear inside the mouth on the cheeks, lips or tongue. Sometimes they’ll crop up underneath your tongue too. They can look grey, red, yellow or white in colour and may also appear swollen.^[1]

You might get more than one ulcer at a time, and in some cases they can also spread and get bigger. But it’s important to know that they’re not contagious, and can’t be spread from person to person.

They’re sometimes confused with cold sores, but are actually very different. Cold sores are blisters that develop on or around the lips caused by a virus. They usually begin with a tingling or burning sensation on the mouth. Ulcers don’t present in this way.

Can mouth ulcers lead to other problems?

It’s very rare for mouth ulcers to lead to any other problems. Very occasionally they can lead to a bacterial infection, or cause a small amount of scarring, but not very often. Most mouth ulcers will disappear on their own after a week or so.