Do You Suffer From Canker Sores or Cold Sores?

Do you suffer from frequent canker sores or cold sores?  We know just how annoying these can be.  Cold sores look horrible and cause embarrassment wherever you go.  And those pesky cold sores hurt like the devil! You  may have read one of Dr. Kurthy’s magazine articles, heard him interviewed on radio or seen him interviewed on national TV about canker sores and cold sores.

Dr. Kurthy takes these annoying and uncomfortable problems quite seriously, and can offer you immediate help with one of his five incredible dental LASERS.

That's right, our LASERS, among the other incredible things they do, can effectively treat canker and cold sores.  It can take the pain away from canker sores instantly, and allow them to heal often within 24 hours.  And the LASER kills the viruses that cause cold sores, allowing rapid healing so that you don't have to hide your embarrassment for the next two weeks.

Read what Dr. Kurthy has to say about canker sores in this article originally published by Oxygen magazine.

Dealing With Canker Sores and Cold Sores

Most of us suffer from at least one of the two most common mouth sores: canker sores and cold sores.  There are things that can be done to heal and even prevent these problems.

by Rodger Kurthy, D.M.D.

What is the difference between canker sores and cold sores? 

CANKER SORES (APTHOUS ULCERS)

1. Occur only inside the mouth and the inner side of the lips.  They occur only on the soft fragile lining of the cheeks, lips, soft palate (far back on the roof of the mouth), and tongue.  They do not occur on the firm gum tissue or the firm roof of the mouth.
2. Are not contagious -- they cannot be spread from one person to another
3. Are not caused by a virus

COLD SORES (FEVER BLISTERS)

1. Are contagious -- can be spread from person to person
2. Are caused by the Herpes simplex type I virus, which over 99% of the adult population has living within their nerves (most have the first episode of Herpes simplex type I infection by the age of three).

CANKER SORES

Canker sores are very painful open sores in the mouth.  They occur inside the mouth and the inner side of the lips.  They occur only on the soft fragile lining of the cheeks, lips, soft palate (far back on the roof of the mouth), and tongue.  They do not occur on the firm gum tissue or the firm roof of the mouth.  They are round or oval, have a white center, and a deep red halo around the edge.  They usually heal in 7-14 days, but can last up to four weeks.  They range in size from an eighth of an inch wide to more than an inch wide.  Frequently, more than one canker sore can be found in the mouth at the same time.

People usually start getting canker sores between the ages of 10 and 20.  We really don’t know what causes canker sores.  Some feel that they may be associated with the body’s immune system.  We do know that there are things that tend to trigger outbreaks of canker sores.  Certain foods and preservatives, trauma from overzealous toothbrushing or lip biting, sharp foods such as chips and pretzels, and stress are definite factors.

Numerous foods have been associated with canker sore outbreaks.  Probably the biggest offenders are chocolate, citrus fruits, and tomatoes.  Other foods that can cause canker sores include:  nuts, peanut butter, sea food, wheat and other grain products, vinegar, apples, soy, French mustard, pineapples, figs, pickles, spicy foods, and dairy products.  It's different for everybody.  Different foods trigger canker sores in different people.

The most common cause of canker sores may be Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), the detergent found in almost all toothpastes.  SLS is responsible for the foaming of toothpastes when you brush.  SLS damages the protective proteins and lipids (fats) on the surface of the fragile lining of our mouths.  This can leave the inside of the mouth much more susceptible to these problem foods and trauma.
 
There are people who make light of canker sores, but they can actually be a serious problem.  Canker sores can be extremely painful when eating, drinking, talking, and even just swallowing.  Some people get canker sores only once or twice a year, while others suffer with multiple canker sores throughout their mouths constantly for a lifetime.  This can make life nearly unbearable -- it's a pain you just can’t get away from.

Millions of people, about 20% of the population, suffer from chronic reoccurring canker sores!  Women are twice as likely to have reoccurring canker sores as men. Often the susceptibility to canker sores is hereditary.  People whose parents have canker sores have a 90% chance of developing them early in life.  Women often report they get them more often during certain times of their menstrual cycle, but often canker sores disappear during pregnancy.
 
Almost always canker sores occur in otherwise healthy people.  However, in a very few cases, canker sores can be associated with various systemic illnesses, including HIV.  If an underlying medical condition is suspected, a physician should be consulted.

If left untreated, a canker sore will heal on its own, but it will tend to get bigger, last longer, and will be more painful.  Treatment of canker sores can ease the pain and shorten the healing time.  Until recently there has been no way to prevent canker sores, and the treatments have often been minimally effective.  These previous treatments have been:  1)  Topical steroids prescribed by a physician or dentist (these certainly help, but can be painful to apply and can have side effects);  2)  Topical analgesic (numbing) and protective ointments and gels (these temporarily help relieve the pain, but some can cause even more irritation in the long run);  and 3)  anti-microbial mouthwashes help kill bacteria, but most cause significant burning and irritation of the sores.

Previously, many chronic sufferers of canker sores thought they were alone in their misery.  The Internet has provided many of these individuals with a forum to discuss their problems and give each other advice and hope.  And it appears that a few of the oral healthcare product companies have ‘listened in’.  The forums have helped guide these few companies in their research to develop products that significantly help.

One of the companies that has taken the subject of canker sores seriously is the maker of Rembrandt Products, now owned by Oral-B.  They have developed a toothpaste without SLS to help prevent canker sores.  The toothpaste is called “Oral-B Rembrandt Canker Sore Toothpaste”.  You may find it in stores, or on the internet.  You can order the product directly from Oral-B.

Studies show this toothpaste reduces canker sore outbreaks by an average of 81%.  Everyone knows the best way to treat a problem is to prevent it in the first place.  There are also various preparations on the market to treat canker sores, but the effectiveness varies greatly from person to person.

The biggest breakthrough ever regarding canker sores is the ability to immediately cure them with dental lasers.  The lasers can cure the canker sores painlessly, causing the canker sore pain to vanish and not return.
 
If you don’t get canker sores often, when you do get a canker sore, if it is small, you may want to just try the available products on the market to see which works best for you.  But if you get the sores often, use only a toothpaste without SLS and pay attention to the foods you eat.  If you get frequent canker sores, keep a canker sore diary.  It’s a simple log to keep track of the toothpaste you use, the foods you eat, stressful events, and any trauma to the inside of your mouth.  And you also keep track of the canker sore outbreaks.  By doing this you may find the culprits that trigger your canker sores -- then of course, you can try to eliminate these activities or foods as much as possible.

When canker sores are painful enough to disrupt your normal day, they can be immediately eliminated with a dental laser.

COLD SORES (FEVER BLISTERS)

Cold sores tend to reoccur in the same location and are caused by the Herpes simplex type I virus.  Most children have a Herpes simplex Type I infection before the age of 5 years. Most often, this first infection goes unnoticed.  A tingling or burning sensation may occur one to two days before a cold sore appears. Small blisters form, break, and ooze a clear fluid; and then crust over with a scab.  They usually heal in one to two weeks.  Other symptoms accompanying cold sores may include a fever, tiredness, bad breath and swollen neck glands.  This virus is normally dormant and is carried by most people.  Once you have the virus, it lives in your nerves the rest of your life.  In some people, under certain conditions the virus becomes active and causes cold sores.  An entirely different form of Herpes virus causes genital herpes (Herpes simplex type II).

Unlike canker sores, fever blisters are contagious.  They can be passed from one person to another through skin-to-skin contact. The Herpes virus can be passed to others even when blisters aren't present, but the greatest risk of infection is from the time the blister appears until it has completely crusted over.

We know that the Herpes virus causes cold sores, but we don’t yet understand all the factors that make it reoccur.  So far, we do know that stress, fevers, colds, other illness, as well as sunburn are known to influence outbreaks.

Even though cold sores can't be prevented, certain practices may reduce new outbreaks.   For example:  Do not squeeze, pinch or pick at any blister.  Avoid kissing and other mucous membrane contact while blisters are present, and wash hands carefully before touching other people.  Use sun block on your lips before prolonged exposure to sun.

If you frequently suffer from cold sore attacks, discuss this with your doctor.  There are antiviral medications such that your physician or dentist can prescribe that may slightly shorten the length of the outbreak.  Some of these prescription medications may also be used to help prevent repeated episodes of cold sores.

Other than prescription medications and treatment with lasers, effective treatments are few, but if you find yourself with a cold sore, try the following:  Avoid foods that irritate blisters, especially salty foods.  Use over-the-counter topical ointments containing phenol. To help reduce discomfort, apply an ice cube or ice pack to your lip for 30 minutes. Apply rubbing alcohol to the blisters to reduce swelling and to help the sores dry up. Do this for 2 minutes, 4 times a day.  Protect your lips from the sun by using a sunscreen when you go outdoors.

It is very important to avoid touching your eyes when you have a cold sore.  If you must touch your eye, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly first.  A cold sore in the eye can be very serious.  Avoid close contact with other people, especially kissing or oral sex, until the blisters heal.

There are many, many claimed remedies, none of which have been proven -- yet many people swear that they benefit from them.  Some feel the frequency of fever blisters increases when people have a shortage of the amino acid, lysine, in their diet and their diet is high in another amino acid, arginine. If this claim is correct, to prevent cold sores you should stop eating compounds such as nuts and seeds, which are low in lysine and high in arginine. You could even supplement your diet with lysine available at health food stores.  Apply petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to ease cracking and dryness, but be sure not to share the product with others.  Apply a paste made of cornstarch and a little water to help dry the cold sore.  Apply Blistex or Campho-Phenique to ease the pain.  Apply Polysporin ointment to the area once or twice a day to prevent bacterial infection.

All in all, the best way to handle embarrassing cold sores is to have prescription medicine with you at all times, and take it immediately when you feel a cold sore coming on.  Then see a laser dentist immediately to have the area painlessly treated with a laser, which will inactivate/kill the viruses before they have a chance to bloom into the cold sore.