Conquer your canker sores

Small but mighty in pain, canker sores can ruin anyone's week. Baylor Medicine dermatologist Dr. Vicky Zhen Ren breaks down these problematic pustules and ways to ease their powerful pain.

"Canker sore is the layman's term for 'recurrent aphthous stomatitis.' These tender, non-contagious ulcers are typically shallow and oval-shaped," said Ren, associate professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine. "They often occur on the tongue, buccal mucosa or soft palate."

While there is no single cause of canker sores, intraoral trauma or consumption of acidic foods can lead to the formation of these ulcers.

Canker sores may also form because of underlying health conditions, such as Behçet's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, cyclic neutropenia or HIV. People experiencing high stress levels can also see the formation of canker sores. In some cases, iron, folate or vitamin B12 deficiencies may be associated with canker sores.

If canker sores are being caused by hard or sharp foods, changes in diet can help lessen the frequency of ulcer formation. No medication can eliminate or prevent canker sores, and in most cases, ulcers self-resolve within six weeks. Over-the-counter topical anesthetics, such as lidocaine and medicated mouthwashes, can help ease the pain caused by canker sores, and topical corticosteroids can help reduce inflammation and accelerate healing. If you consume acidic foods when you have a canker sore or accidentally cause more trauma to the ulcer, it may persist longer, as these behaviors prevent healing.

By Aaron Nieto