What Causes Canker Sores?

What Causes Canker Sores

What Causes Canker Sores?

What causes canker sores? It’s one of the questions dentists must ponder in between medical school and practice, and one that canker sore sufferers have more than a passing interest in. Perhaps one day someone will invent a fabulous canker sore cure, and then these painful sores will be a thing of the past. Until then, however, canker sore remedies are mostly palliative (meaning: focused on reducing pain) instead of curative.

Known medically as aphthous ulcers, a typical canker sore begins as a small red bump inside the mouth, which then bursts, leaving a whitish open sore in the mouth surrounded by red, inflamed tissue. According to some studies, nearly 2 out of 5 people in the United States will experience canker sores in their lifetime. Of those who do, most canker sore sufferers are between the ages of 10 and 20, with a decreasing chance of getting canker sores as you get older.

Fortunately, most canker sores are of the “minor” variety, which means that they are no more than 2 to 3 millimeters across, and heal by themselves within a week or two. More severe forms of canker sores may require professional medical canker sore treatment, and include “major” canker sores, and “herpetiform,” in which clusters of canker sores get together to form large ulcers in the mouth. Be sure to contact your doctor if you develop a fever or if the sores continue past several weeks.

Until they figure out what causes canker sores, your best bet is to remember the words attributed to King Solomon of Israel: “This, too, shall pass.”