Stubborn mouth ulcer. Wait or make a GP appointment now?

[Flipz]

Hi,

So unfortunately I suffer a lot with general anxiety, which filters into health anxiety too, so my mind is taking me to worst case scenario.

Anyway, I have had an ulcer on the inside of my lip for about 10/12 days, which seems to be different to what I've had before. I'm no stranger to mouth ulcers and painful ones too, but the cycle is, I get a sore spot which grows into a full blown ulcer, like a white crater, which is very sore for a few days, but once it reaches it's peak, it goes down almost straight away. This normally takes a week max.

This one is weird. The white completely disappeared yesterday to suggest it was in the next phase of healing, but then this morning the white has come back to suggest it's gone backwards. It's not really sore now though.

I have had quite a nasty sore throat and slight cough and cold, so I'm hoping that maybe my body has just been busy fighting that virus, which cleared up a few days a go.

Should I wait and see a bit longer or call my gp or dentist?

Thanks very much.

You could be generally a bit run down which means your immune system isn't kicking in to heal the ulcer. Is it catching on your teeth at all? I've had ulcers on the inside of my lip which took longer to heal than normal because I kept catching it. Try taking masses of B12 - you can't take too much and it really helps.

Try the pharmacy first

I would ask a pharmacist

To use rinse in salt water? I'd use home remedies and not bother anyone with a mouth ulcer.

I'd imagine your GP's advice would be to wait a bit longer to see if your immune system can heal it. If you think it's caused by a tooth problem then it's worth making a dentist appointment but otherwise not much they can do.
I'd think your local pharmacy would be best as they can advise on pain relief/supplements to boost your immune system if you're feeling rundown. Hope you feel better soon.

I used to think this until I had the mother of all mouth ulcers on my tongue. I was I so much pain that it kept me awake at night, everytime I ate I thought I'd have a heart attack and I couldn't speak properly. One of the most painful experiences of my life.

Actually dentists are experts in oral medicine, they spend years studying it , where the average gp has a couple of hours at most. If you have any sort of problem with mouth or jaw go see your dentist.
In general you are advised to see one if you have had an ulcer more than 2 weeks.

I’ve been prescribed steroids to use as a mouthwash for mouth ulcers before. They were the only thing that healed them and relieved pain. I get extreme mouth ulcers. I wouldn’t suffer unnecessarily if it’s very bad and your GP can prescribe them.

Some of this advice about it just being a mouth ulcer is very misguided (and I say this not to alarm the op at all as I'm sure it's just her immune system) but you used to be able to purchase a product in the uk that cleared up mouth ulcers rapidly. It's like a miracle paste. They no longer sell it (or prescribe it) as it disguises the symptoms of oral cancer or the presence of recurring mouth ulcers which is indicative of a number of other conditions. I managed to purchase some in another country and had to argue the pharmacist for it as I didn't have an ulcer at the time. He made me promise that if i ever had an ulcer bigger than a 5cm piece OR if it lasted more than 2 weeks that I would see a gp.

Anyway it sounds like your immune system
Is working on it but I would call the gp if it doesn't clear up soon or comes back.

Off the top of my head I can think of over two dozen things it could or couldn't be. Most quite benign.
If a mouth ulcer is present longer than 2 weeks go and see a dentist. Dentists are oral physicians and have years of training in the mouth compared a a few hours for a gp.

Hi had painful mouth ulcers that wouldn't heal up for about 2 weeks (although corsodyl did help in the end if you haven't tried it)

I read on the NHS website that it can be a sign of a deficiency so asked my GP for a blood test (I'd been feeling a bit tired and run down too), my folate was low and the GP has put me on prescription only strength folic acid

@Lollygaggle Exactly my point. If you have it longer than 2 weeks go and see someone. I was responding to the people saying it was time wasting to see someone for a mouth ulcer. As I said, it's likely nothing but why they stopped selling the cream is a fact though.

Very true. I'm prone to them as I have IBD. Just another joyous symptom to add to the list.

If you’re worried, go to your dentist. They would want to see you with any ulcer you had concerns about. Chances are it is just a nasty ulcer but sometimes it isn’t and they’re very cautious to be sure.

I suffer a lot from ulcers. I had an awful one when I had a routine dentist appointment, which alarmed them. I said it was totally normal for me but they insisted on taking photos and booking me back in to check it as it was a whopper. My whole family are prone to them so I think nothing of it but apparently it is uncommon. My son had a few ulcers when he went to the dentist - so, she suggested blood tests with GP to check no underlying deficiencies as a cause. There were none but I took her advice seriously and got him checked even given the family history.

Have you had any support with your anxiety? I have awful anxiety, which after 40 odd years of successfully masking showed up as bleeding stomach ulcers without the H pylori bacteria present. Official cause noted as a lifetime of being anxious with a sensitive stomach as the underlying gastritis has never improved even though luckily modern medicine stops it from processing to ulceration now.
I have just had EDMR for cPTSD - I did have a challenging childhood - and it hasn’t removed the anxiety but it’s reduced it and given me loads of other tools to help me minimise the physical and mental cost of my constant hypervigilance.

If it's kenalog (adcortyl in orabase) you are talking about , they stopped manufacture in U.K. and Europe as license ran out and it was uneconomic.
A dentist/doctor in hospital practice can get something similar made up , and it is still available in a couple of countries.

Crossed posts with lots of people but totally agree, any ulcer lasting longer than 2 weeks should be checked, ideally by a dentist. Mine often last longer but that didn’t stop my dentist telling me it would advisable to get any that last longer than a fortnight checked by them just in case this time it isn’t my usual whopper ulcers and is something else.

@Lollygaggle that's good to know, thank you!

I don't want to alarm you, but DH's stubborn mouth ulcer turned out to be cancer. If you can't get in to see your GP, try your dentist. They are also trained in ulcer identification and treatment, and can refer you to the hospital if appropriate.

Recurrent moth ulcers can be a sign of coeliac disease so have that checked next time you see the doctor

Self treat for now with chlorhexidine mouthwash such as Corsodyl. If it persists make a dental appointment before a GP appointment.

Definitely see a doctor or dentist, but if you get them regularly I would recommend Orabase paste. You can buy it online and it should heal your ulcer in a day or 2, much for effective than bonjela.

Thanks very much for all your replies.

@ParkrunPlodder yes, but with little affect really. I spoke to my gp again about a referral for talking therapies, but haven't heard anything since and that was months a go. The health aspect certainly gets worse as I get older, which makes sense I suppose.

@KnickerlessParsons I'm sorry to hear that. Did they catch it early? Of course this is my main concern.

In our area, you self refer to talking therapies. Is that an option in your area? I did have to wait a few weeks and I chose to be flexible to start online via NHS zoom-equivalent. All the best.