What everybody ought to know about tongue ulcers?

Tongue ulcer also termed as sores on the tongue are open cuts that appear as whitish lesions on the tongue. This is one of the common types of canker sores that appear inside our mouth. It is a common oral problem and subsides on its own but stimulates sharp pain while eating and drinking.

Despite it appears harmless and occurs for an unknown cause, it is linked to various irritants at times. It can be identified with certain symptoms. Keep reading to know more about this.

What causes Tongue ulcer?

The root cause of tongue ulcers is unknown. However, dentists believe it happens as a consequence of viral infections, certain medical conditions, and traumatic conditions. The possible attributes that trigger sores on our tongue include:

• Infectious conditions
• Oral thrush
• Oral Lichen Planus
• Herpes
• Gingivostomatitis

Bodily disorders

If a person has ulcer lesions in various areas of his/her mouth, it may occur due to a disturbance in the victim’s physical health. In simply, too many sores or rashes in the mouth are a sign of an underlying problematic condition. The important ones to mention are:

• Autoimmune diseases
• Crohn’s disease
• Diabetes
• Behcet’s Syndrome
• Inflammatory Bowel disease

Traumatic conditions

Apart from the microbial invasions and bodily disorders, the tongue ulcers emanating from injuries or damages in the mouth that occur due to

• Accidental tongue bites
• Irritations from dental braces or restorative appliances
• Irritations from certain medications
• Oral tissue injuries due to vigorous brushing or flossing

Taking too much spicy foods and consuming hot foods are also responsible for soft tissue injuries that lead to tongue ulcers.

What are the symptoms of tongue ulcers?

The tongue sores caused by mouth ulcer or canker sores are whitish or yellowish lesions with red-colored borders. Mostly, the tongue ulcers are tiny-sized wounds whereas some ulcer tongue lesions are sized between 1 to 3 cm.

As they are painful lesions, the tongue ulcer is accompanied by difficulties in eating along with certain oral hardships as follows:

• Difficulty in swallowing
• Swollen tongue
• Bleeding

In the meantime, a person encounters various hassles in his/her body systems along with mouth ulcers if it happens due to the underlying disorders. Here are some signs:

• Chronic fever
• Body aches
• Diarrhea
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Rashes in the skin

What are the tongue ulcer treatments a dentist provides?

Remember that the tongue sores or ulcer tongue lesions will go on their own in a few days if it occurs due to oral infections. We recommend OTC medications to get relief from the pain and discomforts caused by the tongue sores.

In contrast, if you notice the mouth sores exist for many weeks, consult your dentist. We have noticed that various medical conditions obstruct the ulcer lesions from subsiding. In such circumstances, treating such underlying cause will help you to get rid of the tongue ulcers.

You can also get rid of the painful lesions and quicken the healing process with some natural remedies.

Want to know more about tongue ulcer and DIY remedies to get relief from this problem? Contact our dentists. Our Align Dental Care is ready to help.

Why do you feel sharp pain while swallowing?

Painful swallowing happens due to various reasons. The main culprit to mention is, our fast-paced lifestyle. As we eat too much food at once so that we do not chew foods properly. Despite it looks common and harmless, it engenders difficulties in swallowing over time. Clinicians refer such pain and other difficulties in swallowing as “Dysphagia”.

The ingested food particles move into a part of the throat called the pharynx. Then the chewed foods pass to the stomach and other parts of the digestive tract through the esophagus. If there is any glitch in this path, you will have swallowing difficulties.

Besides gulping, aging is the main thing that triggers dysphagia. On the other hand, various health conditions lead to this problem.

How is dysphagia categorized?

Before seeing the painful swallowing instigating factors, you should know about dysphagia classifications. It is because the dysphagia is classified on how it is occurring so that the initiators also fall into one of those categories. This condition is primarily classified into 2 types:

• Oropharyngeal Dysphagia – It causes difficulty swallowing due to the problems in mouth or throat. Mostly, it occurs with throat muscle weakening thereby the foods cannot move into the throat and digestive tract.
• Esophageal Dysphagia – When a muscle in the body of the esophagus does not work properly, it also stimulates difficulty swallowing and is termed “Esophageal Dysphagia”.

Each type shows various signs and they vary for every individual. For instance, some people sense pain while swallowing solid foods but fluids do not cause any pain. In contrast, few persons encounter pain while drinking but have no trouble with solid foods.

What are the additional symptoms of dysphagia?

Apart from triggering pain when swallowing, you may have various difficulties as follows:

• Sense of something stuck in the breast bone
• Chronic heartburn
• Coughing while swallowing
• Food coming back up into the throat
• Sore throat
• Hoarsing
• Choking

What causes difficulty swallowing?

There are many reasons why you feel pain when swallowing. It occurs frequently or occasionally. The frequency depends on the severity of the underlying cause. Here are the primary factors you should know.

Oropharyngeal Dysphagia

As we have seen earlier, this kind of dysphagia happens with the weakening of throat muscles. Mostly, virus or bacteria infections, certain illnesses are responsible for this problem as listed below:

• Neurological damage – The structural or biochemical deviations in the central nervous system (nerves in the brain & spinal cord) are also a factor associated with dysphagia.
• Neurological disorders –  People who are suffering from diseases caused by flawed neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Muscular dystrophy have difficulties in swallowing.
• Hypothyroidism – Swelling in the underactive thyroid gland due to which extra pressure is applied on the esophagus. It triggers pain and a feel like something is stuck in the throat.
• Zenker’s Diverticulum – It is a disastrous condition that causes a pouch of tissues in the throat. This makes the food particles stuck in the throat and is followed by causing infection, swelling, bad breath along painful swallowing.

Esophageal Dysphagia

The infection or damage in the esophagus hurts your swallowing by causing Esophageal Dysphagia. Here are some common and atypical things responsible for this condition:

• Acid reflux diseases – Chronic reflux of stomach acids would irritate your throat, cause scar tissue in the esophagus and even narrow down this muscular tube. Such esophageal damages can be identified with various abnormalities like painful swallowing.
• Esophageal tumors – The abnormal narrowing of the esophagus causes tumors in the food pipe and causes various difficulties. Difficulty swallowing is one of its impacts.
• Achalasia –  Achalasia is a disorder that makes foods or liquids difficult to pass through the esophagus. The walls of esophagus for achalasia sufferers are weak thereby the foods and drinks they take come up back to the mouth.
• Foreign bodies – Foods and certain non-edibles can lodge in the throat and block it partially. In such cases, swallowing is difficult so that you may get an aching sensation. Denture wearers and people who have chewing difficulties are highly susceptible to this.
• Diffuse Spam – This is a problematic condition that affects involuntary muscles in the walls of our esophagus. It causes poorly coordinated contractions of the esophagus so that the sufferers develop intense pain while swallowing.
• Radiation therapy – Some people get affected by this condition due to the growth of cancer tumor cells and radiation treatments to rectify it.
• Scleroderma – It is a chronic but rare autoimmune disease that causes a ring-like structure to harden the tissues. It has a direct impact on the muscles in the lower esophagus and is followed by a sharp pain in the throat while swallowing.

Bottom line

Difficulty swallowing (or) Dysphagia is a common condition that can happen for people of all age groups whilst older adults are highly prone to this condition. Whatever your age is, if painful swallowing happens frequently and shows various abnormalities, consult your doctor or dentist immediately.

Based on the type of dysphagia you are suffering from, a clinician would prescribe you the right solution such as swallow strengthening exercises, medication, surgery, and others.  

6 possible risks of untreated tooth decay you might not know

Tooth decay is one of the most common dental problems. You have some form of cavities unless you take good care of your teeth. Remember that cavities occur gradually such as losing minerals, weakening the enamel, and eventually a hole will form. It means you can save a decayed tooth if it is treated timely. In contrast, many people neglect cavities due to which they invite serious problems like gum diseases.

You might know cavities penetrate deeper inside a tooth and affect the adjacent teeth. Surprisingly, the toxic microbes in a rotten tooth are linked to various long-term health issues. Researches show that some illnesses have their root from infections in teeth. When the oral microbes in a rotten tooth move to the bloodstream, various deadly diseases will occur.

Such clinical consequences of untreated cavities are explained here.

What are the possible things behind an itchy mouth?

Do you feel a chronic itching sensation in your mouth? Does the tingling sensation radiate to the throat and ear canal? Don’t worry.  They are the symptoms of itchy mouth that occur due to bacterial or viral infections. Meanwhile, such itchiness in the mouth can be caused by your body’s allergic reactions to foods, medications, and other things you intake. Besides these, various aspects are associated with this problem with which the itchiness also ranges from mild to severe.

What everybody should know about Amalgam Tattoo?

Do you notice any black, blue, or grey-colored lesions on the gum line or other soft tissues inside your mouth?

If you received silver amalgam fillings restoration treatment earlier, then you have a high chance of such discolorations on oral tissues. This is a side effect of the amalgam fillings and is clinically termed as “Amalgam Tattoo”.

Keep reading to know more about its causes, complexions, and treatments to cure.

Facial Nerve Pain – Causes, Symptoms & Treatments

Do you encounter sharp, lingering pain when you touch your face? Are you struggling to brush, shave, put makeup, and even washing your face due to this aching pain in your face?

You might have a nerve disorder in your face and this condition is referred as trigeminal neuralgia. This is a progressive condition and various medications, therapies are available to alleviate this facial nerve pain.

4 Reasons why you have toothache at night

Toothache is a nagging thing that can disturb our daily activities. Noting is painful as sleep disruption due to persistent toothache. Whatever the cause is, the painful sensation in a tooth may get worse at night. You might get a few sleepless nights due to your toothache. Right?

One reason for such nightly pain is our mind does not have many distractions when we fall asleep. In such cases, our brain is more aware of the sensations in our bodies. This makes our mind feels that the toothache becomes severe in the night.

The impact of hormonal changes on women’s dental health

Women go through major hormonal changes throughout their lives, which can have a negative impact on their oral health. Many women are unaware of the impact that their hormone levels have on their teeth and gums.

At various stages of life, the complex link between oral health and female hormones can cause a variety of unwanted dental problems, symptoms, and issues, starting from dry mouth and gingivitis to a significant risk of tooth decay.

Will banana peel teeth whitening remove stains effectively?

Some people believe that banana peels can whiten our teeth.

Do banana peels have teeth brightening powers? It is still debated.

Different types of night guards for Sleep Bruxism

Nightguards (or) Night mouthguards- The custom-made plastic mouth pieces fabricated for people who grind their teeth unconsciously during their sleep. Wearing this appliance acts as a protective cushion between the upper and lower teeth surfaces to avert the ill effects of sleep bruxism.