Ever wonder what causes canker sores? Here is a little information to help you along the way.

The medical term for canker sore is aphthous ulcer. It is a small shallow lesion that develops on the softer tissue in your mouth and at the base of your gums. They do not develop on the outside of your mouth like the cold sore does and they are not contagious. That having been said, they can be extremely painful. Canker sores can sometimes cause difficulty eating and drinking.

The symptoms of a canker sore are a tingling feeling a few days before the appearance, an approximate one half inch oval shaped sore on your gums, under your tongue or inside your cheek. On occasion they can be accompanied by fever, listlessness and swollen lymph nodes.

What causes canker sores is still unclear. It is suspected that there is a combination of things that can cause an outbreak. If you have an injury in your mouth like biting your cheek or stabbing yourself with a sharp potato chip or if you are overly sensitive to certain acidic foods and you happen to have them it may cause the sore to develop. Also if you have food allergies, sometimes this can cause a sore to develop. Other things thought to potentially cause them would be a lack of vitamin B-12, zinc, folate in the diet. Emotional stress or toothpastes and mouthwashes containing sodium, hormonal shifts during menstruation, HIV/AIDS, a faulty immune system, Behcet’s disease or inflammatory bowel diseases and celiac disease are all potential causes for canker sores.

Interestingly, females develop canker sores more often then males. Additionally, if you have a family history of canker sores you are more likely to develop them.

Minor canker sores are not of high concern as long as they do heal and do not get worse. As long as they are not accompanied by any other severe symptoms they should go away in a week or so. Enduring the aggravation and pain of them on the other hand is a challenge. Over the counter pain management can be purchased for them and is very effective on a short term. However, expecting a topical that you use in your mouth, to work for any length of time is unreasonable when you consider it is likely washed away moments after being applied.