Mouth Ulcers

[MrsLadywoman]

My DD gets terrible mouth ulcers really frequently. They come in clutches of 2 and 3 and sometimes they are so painful she can barely eat or speak and she has to stay off school. I've been to the GP, the dentist, stopped her eating tomatoes and citrus fruit, and used Corsodyl and bonjela. Nothing bloody works. Has anyone got any suggestions?

Poor thing - as a recurrent sufferer myself, the thing I find works best is gargling with dispersable asprin. If an ulcer is particularly bad, I don't even mix the asprin with water, I just put it straight in my mouth and my saliva will dissolve it in my mouth (although I don't think I'd reccomend doing that if your daughter is young).

It doesn't get rid of them, but it gets rid of all the pain for 3-4hours, so you can get on with everyday life.

She's 9 so it's probably OK. Thanks for that, I will give it a go tonight!

I would also suggest an antacid tablet Rennie type of thing, if she is old enough to use them? It certainly helps with the pain.
Look at upping her vit B intake too, as I think that helps.

She's a Marmite lover so B vit shouldn't be a problem, though of course when she actually has the ulcers, Marmite stings!

could be her toothpaste. Get something from the healthfood shop without the nasty stuff and they may clear up.

my son had a nasty one the other day and i used to get them alot and treat with bonjela, now this has a massive not for under 16s sign on it

Oh God I'm sorry, it must have looked like I was suggesting she was deficient or malnoursihed or something, my apologies.

Hi Isla - don't worry, wasn't taken that way at all! Dentist said she might have anaemia but GP totally pooh-poohed it. Wish I knew what caused them but no-one seems to have a conclusive answer.

You must not give asprin to under 16s as it causes a nasty syndrome called Reyes Disease. I dont know if this is just when they are ill but it is why bonjela has removed asprin for their kids formulation.

Personally as a sufferer myself I used to get some stuff with steroids in it over the counter, but the manufacturer has stopped making it so I am forced to buy it from Australia!!! Not suitable I think for kids anyway.

The only other useful product ive found is iglu, loads better than bonjela which doesnt last 5 minutes!

Don't giver her aspirin, not only is it risky for under 16s, it's also quite a strong acid which can cause chemical burns. Really, please don't give her aspirin. Afterall, you wouldn't put it in your ear for earache!
You can get a numbing mouthwash called benzydamine, can't remember if it's prescription only. Perhaps see your dentist, they see lots more mouths than GPs although most ulceration has no identifiable cause whatsoever. Obviously being healthy and having a concerned mum like you will help things no end.

Sorry, just saw you've been to dentist.

My DS (6 yrs old) also gets recurrent, nasty mouth ulcers. We get a cream called Daktarin from the chemist which clears the ulcers up within 24 hours.

Doesnt stop them from recurring, though, unfortunately, and like you we have been back and forth to the doctors and had various tests but no conclusive answer as to why he keeps getting them. Very frustrating!

I suffered from ulcers as a child - awful ones like you describe where it hurts to talk or eat. Is she run down or tired? I was quite a worrier when I was young (when I started secondary sch) and it seemed to be worse when I was worried about school. Have to say I did grow out of them and I hardly ever get them - but poor dd has started to get them

anbesol works wonders,mild topical aneasthetic so stopsit hurting

OFGS. Thank you very much for that information, I really do suffer but have never actually seen daktarin gel specifically for mouth ulcers and looking at the info it is for treating fungal infections in the mouth and throat rather than ulcers. However I am going to give it a go as there are always lots of nasty fungi (thrush) and bacteria in the mouth so it may be the answer to my problem!

i put on neat salt

Ulcers get "superinfected" with the bugs in the mouth which is what makes them so sore, salt, daktarin etc will kill the bugs and help it heal more quickly. Salt is v painful but it does work.

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. Yes, janx, she is quite a worrier and maybe her stress levels add to her proneness to ulcers, but difficult to know how to stop that (we do try!) as it seems to be ingrained in her nature.

DD has already been using salt water as a mouthwash (I really wouldn't be able to put salt on the ulcer directly, not without the neighbours ringing the police - honestly, she'd scream the house down).

I will follow your advice and try Daktarin, iglu, benzydamine and anbesol (though maybe not at the same time!)

UPDATE: JUst been to Boots the tax-dodging chemist and got some iglu. Active ingredients are: Lidocaine Hydrochloride and Aminoacridine Hydrochloride.

No sign of anbesol (although it also contains Lidocaine Hydrochloride so maybe the same) or benzydamine (although website says should not be used for under-12s).

They didn't have any Daktarin (nearly bought the athlete's foot stuff!) but will try that too.

Thanks again for the advice.

You need to get zinc/vit B supplement. Mouth ulcers are linked to low immunity & low zinc and any antifungals are not likely to work long term.
You really need to work from the inside. I would also consider probiotics and maybe omega 3/6 if her skin is on a dry side. Zn deficiency is stronly linked with skin lesions and poor healing.

Nightcat. I take daily multi vit (gigantic multi thing) cod liver oil, zinc and still get one ulcer after another! Have tried probiotics. What am I doing wrong? Perhaps its stress, as sometimes I'll go weeks with none and then (like now) get serial ulcers!! I do note though that if I get any abrasions, eg with toothbrushing, biting cheek I am guaranteed an ulcer. Maybe my mouth is a bacterial soup and I am doomed forever. It is very depressing how something so tiny can be so painful so Lady's DD has my deepest sympathy!

My DS had the most terrible outbreak of ulcers shortly after he had chickenpox, presumably because his immune system was low His mouth was absolutely covered in them - no joke. The doctor prescribed betnesol (betamethasone sodium phospate) tablets which went some way to easing the pain and reducing the number of them.

Sneezecake, if you've been taking the giant pills for long then you may have overdone it on something, also intake absorption, my understanding is that some vits compete in terms of absorption and not all get absorbed b/c of that. EG iron will push out zinc, one of the reasons some people prefer non-iron multivits.
Also, certain meds can affect absorption and immune system.
If you really curious, I would have a hair analysis test, that will show if you are deficient in anything.

Thanks for that nightcat. Will look at individual vits and minerals and intersperse them through the day. Only on a tiny dose of thyroxine and anti histimine. Need to do more exercise, eat better, stress less etc etc. I will look at next time I am ulcer free to see if I do anything different, but hair test seems a bit drastic as my diet is reasonable. I cant keep buying ulcer treatments from Australia - its expensive at the rate I use them!

Licorice powder, directly on the ulcer is a fantastic cure. You can buy in small amounts from neals yeard or balwins. Just tip a bit on a clean plate, and use a clean finger. Also rescue remedy held in the mouth is excellent.

I get them from peanuts and tomatoes, it means I have to avoid a hell of a lot of food types but I'm used to it now and the pain is just not worth it. I can still have pizza, I just have the sauce taken off. Good advice from nightcat. Ulcers linked to low immunity and stress will reduce immunity. Is she just a sensitive girl or is there something going on to stress her?

You can also get liquid zinc which would be great for her to use as a mouthwash and swallow. Nutricentre

Get SLS free toothpaste.

Soluable disprin great if the pain is really bad.