Ow ow ow - recurrent mouth ulcers

[buttonmoon78]

I always, ALWAYS have mouth ulcers. They are often large and take ages to heal. They can be on the inside of my lips, on my gums and (as now) on the roof of my mouth - currently got a corker right next to my epiglottis.

Why?

I take a general multivit/mineral supplement and am in generally good health. I do have IBS but definitely do not have coeliac disease.

Can anyone help? It's so painful and really gets me down. It also seems to make my breath a bit pongy

I did mention it years ago to a previous gp but it was kind of brushed off and I was told to use Corsodyl without much success.

I suffer too, have done since I was a teenager. What I have found is drinking plenty of water helps, and eating too much sugary food makes them worse. I still get them if I'm at all run down but have found making sure I don't get dehydrated really makes a difference.

Hope someone else comes along with better advice, they are a real (painful) nuisance!

I tend to get these if I'm run down - not eating enough fruit and veg and not getting enough sleep tends to bring them on for me. Drinking plenty of water and brushing teeth religiously also helps.

Yours do sound really bad though. I'd be inclined to go back to the GP.

Same problem here.. in fact my dentist asked 2 weeks ago if I often had such ulcers:( Yes, to the point I hardly notice them... but it has worried me so I have made a GP appy for this week and in the meantime am using Corsodyl mouthwash..which is VILE..I swear it has made my tongue actually worse!

I have found many foods irritate them..tomatoes, anything acid (including red wine :( ) anything spicy.

I'm trying to cut out all the foods I KNOW hurt my mouth to see if it helps. My palate gets sore too.. it's a real nuisance! I'm hoping the GP can suggest something!!! Hope you find a solution .. and if you do, please share it:)

please try and change your toothpaste to one that does not contain SLS (sodium laureth sulphate) - boots expert whitening toothpaste is what i use as it is the only one i have found that does not contain SLS.

I struggled terribly with mouth ulcers for years - suffering with over 10 at a time at one point, both my doctor and dentist couldnt explain why they were so bad so in the end the doctor prescribed difflam spray to numb my mouth to enable me to eat. I happened to see a locum doctor one day who suggested trying to get a toothpaste without SLS and it had been a revelation. After about a month of using it i realised that ulcers i had slowly healed and i am now only suffering about one every so often - the improvement has been dramatic and it is really worth trying to see if it works for you.

I also have bad eczema and i have cut SLS out off the body products and have seen an improvement in the condition of my skin.

Crazyaccountant - I think I'll try this. I too have bad eczema which is mainly stress related but also central heating and product related. Think I'll be off to Boots shortly...

To save me trawling through, which body product ranges don't use SLS?

An Italian friend once told me about 'Propolis' liquid. It's quite sticky and apparently natural antibiotic properties I think. Anyway it's a miracle with ulcers. It's liquid but a bit sticky. Could pat it straight on or dilute with warm water and gargle - which I also do for sore throats. You can get at most health food shops.

Hi buttonmoon,

I use johnsons baby top to toe bath as my shower gel(comes in a big yellow pump bottle) all the other johnsons washes contain SLS but this doesnt and is a great for everyday use and doesnt dry my skin out. I also use elemis milk bath and liz earle body washes as these do not contain SLS but are far more pricey which i appreciate everyone may not want. The "naked" range that boots sell is also reasonably priced but free from SLS and parabens.

I hope this helps!

PS. I also use aveeno as a body moisturiser, worked wonders on my crocodile legs!

I love aveeno too though I don't like smelling like porridge!

Didn't manage to get to Boots today... Will try again tomorrow!

Thank you for the advice - all these things are not worth 'bothering' the gp about but make you feel utterly miserable.

I second the corsodyl mouthwash. Hardly get them since a stint of using that. When I do I use a paste called adcortyl in orabase (from any chemist I think). It sticks like cement to the mouth ulcer (and to your fingers and teeth) but stays there and stops the pain when eating, drinking, living etc. Amazing stuff.

Sorry, missed that you'd tried corsodyl. That certainly didn't stop the pain of existing mouth ulcers.

ha this is true! have you tried the aveeno with the lilac top on the tube - it is lightly fragranced but doesnt cause me any problems - it says its lavender but smells nothing like the "old lady" lavender smell i cant stand, just a gentle sweet smell which is a lot nicer than the ready brek smell!!

the annoying thing is there is a very large aveeno range available in the US but johnsons and johnsons have only released a few products here which is a real shame as it would be great to have more options in the range. one thing i will say is if you ever ger very dry/irritated skin on your face Clinique "comfort on call" moisturiser is an absolute lifesaver for me. i have a severe nut allergy and unfortunately many things designed for very dry skin contain almond/hazelnut oil which is a nightmare for me but this product has been fine for me so far and i go through jars of the stuff!

Hope this helps!

Not tried that I must admit. I'm very lazy about it - I'm so busy that I tend to put up with it a lot and worry about the rest of the family first.

Also, only discovered aveeno in the last few months so not got round to trying different types!

Apparently you can buy it online. Will ask my SiL of the site to see if it has a greater range than Boots/Sainsburys.