Causes of mouth ulcers
Why do mouth ulcers occur?
Most 'one-off' mouth ulcers are caused by some kind of damage or trauma to the mouth. It might be that you accidentally bit the inside of your cheek, caused irritation with a toothbrush (perhaps the bristles were too hard/ the head was too big/you were a little over-zealous in your brushing), or from a sharp tooth, or filling.
Anxiety, stress, feeling run down and hormonal changes are also thought to make you more susceptible to mouth ulcers, but there are other known triggers too. These include:
- Certain foods (including chocolate, coffee, peanuts, almonds, strawberries, cheese, tomatoes and wheat flour)
- Stopping smoking
- Some medicines (such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - painkillers such as ibuprofen and aspirin, Nicorandil - a medicine that is used to treat angina, and beta-blockers - medicines used to treat a variety of heart and blood flow conditions).
If you keep suffering from recurrent mouth ulcers your GP may look into these factors and other possible underlying causes such as whether you are deficient in vitamin B12 or iron, or have a condition which attacks or suppresses your body's immune system or one which causes inflammation.
If you seem to be suffering regularly, or the ulcers aren't clearing up after about 10 days, talk to your GP.
