Sorry I have been away for a bit, life sometimes drags you away to someplace else for a while. Today's post is a little look at some tried and tested methods for combatting the dreaded lupus mouth ulcers....and other connective tissue diseases. Last week I had a lower lip and roof of my mouth explosion of ulcers, ranging in size and pain...my lower lip was definitely the worse. We get them for many reasons that we get them. They can be triggered by a flare up, by stress, from dental issues and even just as a development of the disease itself. In my case they were caused from my Sjogrens leaving my mouth as dry as a desert.
Once they are there, I have found very little I can do to make them disappear as fast as possible, but there are some things you can do that will take away some of the pain and discomfort. In total mine are only just disappearing now and this is over a week later, that is a long time to have constant mouth pain and eating issues. So to help us all out I though I would share with you the things that did work for me in order to provide relief.
Change your toothbrush
This may sound completely obvious but it's something that is so simple it can often be overlooked. The harder or rougher the toothbrush the more it is going to hurt. There are many other options available so that we can keep our teeth clean whilst the ulcers are with us. If you can't clean your teeth then the likelihood is that you will end up with mouth infections and these are far worse to treat and live with.
The best brushes for me during these times are baby tooth brushes. They are so much softer than ordinary brushes so they are gentler on your teeth and gums. Be aware thought hat they don't clean adult teeth all that well, so I will clean mine 3 times a day when using a baby toothbrush, just to be sure.
Stick to soups and smoothies
Years ago a dental treatment caused a fracture in my jaw. I cannot relay the pain on here other than to say "OUCH". The worst part about though wasn't the pain it was the fact that I couldn't eat solid food for weeks. It got so boring living off soups that I really couldn't stand to eat it for months afterwards. However when ulcers strike, soft food is exactly what you want to be opting for. It makes sense that hard and dry food are going to cause problems when you are eating with a mouthful of ulcers. they can scratch them and catch on them and also pose a threat to infections.
Diet changes can also help ulcers to heal faster. A diet high in vegetables - which are the bases for most soups let's face it. There are some connections between vitamin B12 and mouth ulcers, so upping this is a great place to start. Also cut down on foods that stress the body such as coffee, chocolate and sugary drinks....these are only going to make the problem worse in the end.
Cordysl Mouthwash
There are many over the counter lotions and potions you can use to help keep the ulcers at bay, one of my preferred favourites being Cordsyl mouthwash. It tastes horrendous I am warning you and I wouldn't recommend this for ulcers that have become infected, but for the general kind I have found this takes away some of the pain for a short period of time.
I warn you though it will sting at first, but after the initial sting calms down, your mouth will feel cleaner and there will be less pain from the ulcers.
Aloe Vera can help to heal them quickly
Aloe Vera is one of the best plant based lotions you can get in my opinion. It helps with sunburn, rashes, itching skin and I have used it on ulcers that are inside of my lip. Not only does it help to take some of the sting away but for me it appears to dry the ulcer up, making it disappear that little bit quicker.
Make sure you get a kind that is 100% natural and can be ingested though!!!
