A bit of a weird topic for a beauty blog but nevertheless something that I wanted to discuss.  I have suffered with mouth ulcers for as long as I can remember and they are truly very painful and inconvenient.  They appear as a sore, red lump inside your mouth and can really sting when you try to eat/drink anything.  I have searched high and low to try and find the answers as to why I would sometimes have up to 7/8 ulcers at one time and why they appeared so regularly.

As noted on the NHS website, mouth ulcers can last for up to two weeks (if they last longer than this it is recommended to see your dentist or GP).  There are numerous causes of mouth ulcers but in most cases it is unclear.  Personally, I have been told that they are caused by stress and anxiety, which is understandable but not always correct.  Many other causes come in the forms of accidentally biting on the inside of your mouth, eating certain foods, change of toothpaste and (for women) hormonal changes.  Medical conditions can also cause mouth ulcers to occur, for example a Vitamin B12 or an Iron deficiency.  I have been taking Vitamin B12 for around 4/5 years and it has definitely helped reduce the number of ulcers I get and even prolongs the gap between ulcer breakouts.

From personal experience, I have found that ulcers tend to occur when I change what toothpaste I’m using (usually from one brand to another) or if I’ve eaten a lot of spicy foods or cheese.  To hopefully avoid getting ulcers on a regular basis I use an alcohol free mouthwash to prevent any disturbances to the pH levels in my mouth.  But when they strike, I bring out the Corsodyl Mouthwash and attempt to lessen the time they inhabit my mouth.  I also use some good old Bonjela when the ulcer feels particularly painful as it quickly numbs the pain (despite stinging a little on application).

I hope this post helps any fellow sufferers of mouth ulcers and hopefully clarifies some information that I personally found hard to decipher from many web pages that I had read into.  I am definitely not a medical professional but just wanted to share my personal experience with anyone who may be interested.