Mouth Ulcers

Mouth ulcers

A mouth ulcer is a painful pale coloured sore on the moist inner skin of the mouth. They make eating and tooth brushing difficult, as food and the brush scrapes against the exposed surface causing pain and discomfort.

Generally mouth ulcers are small round sores with a raised edge, but they may become as large as a 10 cent piece, or occur in clusters or in several places in the mouth.

Some mouth ulcers are caused by injuries such as from dental work, biting the inside of the mouth, rough brushing or sharp food damaging the lining of the mouth. Other causes include stress, vitamin B12 and iron deficiency, reactions to certain foods, hormone changes in women, from more serious conditions such as Crohn’s disease and, rarely, from mouth cancer.

The best way to prevent mouth ulcers is to avoid the causes – gently cleaning the teeth with a soft toothbrush, a healthy diet, avoiding stress and other triggers. However avoiding all causes is often not possible, and the first treatment is to ensure good oral hygiene.

Change your toothbrush regularly, use mouthwash or hot salty water to rinse the mouth after eating to remove any debris and ensure the oral cavity is as healthy as possible. Try to eat foods that are not too spicy or rough in texture, to ensure that food is not further damaging the ulcerous area.

Products such gels that ease the pain are available from your pharmacy, as well as pastes that stick to the ulcer and protect it from rough tooth edges and further damage, allowing the area underneath to heal.

Mouth ulcers that have not responded to treatment, are recurrent, are at the back of the mouth, or which change appearance need to be checked out. Your community pharmacist will be able to give you appropriate advice and treatment, or refer you to further medical or dental attention to deal with your mouth ulcer.

Swallowing difficulties (dysphagia)

Causes of swallowing difficulties

Swallowing difficulties can happen at any age. There are a wide range of causes for them, including:

some medicines, such as antipsychotics
heartburn and acid reflux
cancer, such as mouth or throat cancers
nervous system or brain disorders
muscle disorders
blockages or structural issues with your mouth, throat or oesophagus.

Symptoms of swallowing difficulties

Symptoms of swallowing difficulties may include:

coughing or choking when eating or drinking
bringing food back up, may be through your nose
the feeling that food is stuck in your throat
having issues chewing your food
problems with dribbling.

Swallowing difficulties can cause weight loss, dehydration and chest infections.

Diagnosing swallowing difficulties

Let your healthcare provider know if you have swallowing difficulties. They will ask you about your symptoms and check if any other health conditions you have may be the cause.

Your healthcare provider may refer you to a specialist for tests. These may include a:

gastroscopy—a camera is passed down through your mouth to look at your throat and stomach
swallowing study—your throat and stomach are x-rayed as you swallow small amounts of food.

Treating swallowing difficulties

How your swallowing difficulties are treated depends on the cause and how severe it is. Treatments may include:

medicines to treat acid reflux
swallowing therapy with a speech and language therapist
making changes to what you eat and drink, such as softer foods and using thickener in drinks
using special spoons, plates and cups
surgery to widen your oesophagus.
using special medication lubricants eg Gloup to help make it easier to swallow tablets etc. For more information click here.

Self care for swallowing difficulties

As well as seeing your healthcare provider, the following tips may help you to get food or liquids into your stomach.

Sit upright in a chair—at a table is best.
Have regular small meals instead of the main large meals.
Eat or drink small mouthfuls at a time.
If your voice is gurgly when you eat or drink, give a small cough to make sure your airway is clear.
Wet food will be easier to swallow as dry food can catch in your throat.
If your food has 2 consistencies, such as fruit in juice and cereal in milk, try to mix it into 1 consistency, or eat the solid and liquid portions separately.
Concentrate on eating and avoid talking.
Hot, ice-cold or fizzy liquids are easier to swallow than room temperature liquids.
If you are told to have thickened liquids, avoid ice-cream and jelly as they thin before swallowing.
Drink from the top half of you cup to avoid tipping your head back.

Have a look at our range of Gloup medication lubricants here which can help with difficulties swallowing tablets...

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