My Ouchity-ouch -ouch-ouch These Days

There is this pain (not in my neck or ass) but in my mouth going on for a while. It is none other than the crazy irritating excruciating pain of the MOUTH ULCERS! These guys are really small and can appear so subtly but the suffering they cause are beyond measures, even more than my labour pain, perhaps! I kid you not, because I have been having them for almost three weeks, one after another "reporting for duty". They really can appear anywhere: on the cheek, on the lips, on the tongue, under the tongue, on the ceiling of the mouth and everywhere!

Usually, they cannot even get my attention because they would disappear before I truly notice them and give them the "negative attention", you know. After taking turns to reside in my mouth, from one spot to another, recommending to more buddies to stay in after one had left, OKAY YOU HAVE GOTTEN MY ATTENTION AND I AM ACTUALLY POSTING ABOUT YOU, happy?

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Anyway, hehe I am trying to be funny, if you cannot tell. I was reading up on how to treat mouth ulcers and thought I would skip a post today because a super lazy bug caught hold of me after attending to some family matters, but as I was treating myself with the information I read, I was thinking: I am not gonna suffer in vain but I am making 'them' pay for what 'they' have done.

The pain of mouth ulcers are agonizing, even when I was just trying to drink water. It would be intense and teary when I eat food with citrus like when I was having the pickled papaya today (pickle is one of my kind of food too), I was literally crying. My student was thinking what happened to me, because I was like "hissing" (don't know what is the proper word for this action) throughout the class today.

An ulcer is a lesion characterised by a loss of surface epithelium (the outer layer of skin/gum/mucosa). It usually appears as a whitish to yellow circular or ovular shape often surrounded by a red halo. ~Sydney-based dentist Dr Jenna Cutting Source

What are the causes of mouth ulcers?

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There are many reasons why ulcers develop. I have known some before this, because I experienced them. However, there are also some that shocked me a little.

• Mouth or lip injury/ accidental bite
  My son suffered a lip injury and it bled. I was actually worried if it would be become an ulcer as it is an open wound. Let's really hope not. One of my ulcers was formed this way. I was really hoping that it would not turn into an ulcer but it did. Hmm.

• Deficiency of iron and folic acid in our daily diet
  Iron deficiency can cause ulcer formation, now this is something I was not aware of.

• Viral or bacterial infection
  Our mouth is basically the dirtiest part of the body with the amount of microbes surviving in it. A single mouth can house up to 6 billion bacteria, how shocking, right?! They can cause tooth decay and gum inflammation. When our gum swells, it increases the probability of being bitten accidentally as well.

• Family history of having mouth ulcers regularly
  This is also a new factor to me. So far I know my family is not that prone to it though most of us went through the braces stage.

• Lack of water
  This is probably one of the obvious reasons why I am getting them after the Chinese New Year scorching hot season and I did not upped my water intake.

• Lack of sleep
  I guess when we are lacking sleep, anything is possible as our immune system is generally working on OVERTIME!

• Dental braces
  Oh my, I experienced this a lot in my teenage days!

• Hormonal changes especially during menstruation for women
  This factor is also new to me, but I shall pay more attention to this to see if it is true for myself.

• Stress or constant anxiety
  Many part of our bodies are psychosomatic, it seems. Whatever we experience in our emotional health will show and feedback in our physical health. They are like mirrors showing the reflection of our state of being.

How can we prevent or treat mouth ulcers?

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After talking so much about how mouth ulcers are formed, I am desperate for the remedies!!!!

• Applying ulcer cure gel
• Wild honey which is known to be anti-bacterial and anti-inflammation
• Chamomile tea soothes the pain
• Salt water which is antiseptic naturally and washes off bacteria (Some would apply salt and withstand the tormenting pain for a moment)
• Iron and folic acid tablets
• Vitamin B12 supplement tablets
• Keep the mouth clean: brush, rinse, gargle, floss
• Aloe vera which relieves pain and reduces swelling
• Applying baking soda
• Applying watermelon powder (西瓜霜）
• Use softer toothbrush
• Consume coconut drink

AVOID:

• Spicy food
• Citrus fruits like lemon, orange, grapefruit and the like
• Chocolate and coffee
• Deep fried food

For some of you who are very much on the go right now, remember to replenish on the water intake and also take care of your diet, if possible! Do not let these rascals get to you!

All the information are referred from the above websites and I give credit to the article authors. I simply summarize some useful and relevant information for myself in my process of healing, thought maybe it could also be useful for some of you if you are having the same problem as me right now. Thank you for taking your time to read. If you have good suggestions or home remedies which you practise to eliminate mouth ulcers, I am more than interested to know. Share with me in the replies below!

References:

• https://www.mamamia.com.au/how-do-you-get-rid-of-mouth-ulcers/
• https://www.dentalhealth.org/tell-me-about/topic/mouth-conditions/mouth-ulcers
• https://www.healthline.com/symptom/mouth-ulcers
• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317984.php
• https://www.top10homeremedies.com/home-remedies/home-remedies-mouth-ulcers.html

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