Ulcers

Mouth Ulcer
By Wendy Simons

Mouth ulcers are open lesions that can occur in your mouth. These wounds can occur without any reason any they can be very painful. There are any number of people who develop mouth ulcers. In general however it is women more than men who will become affected by a mouth ulcer.

There are three types of mouth ulcers that can develop. These are called minor aphthous ulcers, major aphthous ulcers and pinpoint aphthous ulcers. Each of these mouth ulcer types has different characteristics to them.

In a minor aphthous mouth ulcer the lesions are small, round or oval shaped and they are 10 mm across. They have a pale yellow color to them, however the surrounding area will be swollen and red.

Usually only one mouth ulcer will develop but there is a possibility of five occurring at the same time. Each of these mouth ulcers lasts for about 7 to 10 days. There is no scar left when the mouth ulcer disappears. These mouth ulcer sores are not painful.

The next type of mouth ulcer is that of major aphthous ulcer. These ulcers will occur in about 1 out of 10 cases. The size of the mouth ulcer is 10 mm or bigger. Generally there will only be 1 or 2 of these mouth ulcers. They can last from about two weeks to several months and they can be very painful. This type of mouth ulcer will leave a scar and eating food may prove to be difficult.

Pinpoint aphthous ulcers are the last type of mouth ulcer to occur. Like the major aphthous ulcer they ulcers will affect about 1 in 10 cases of mouth ulcers. These lesions are very small. They are about 1 to 2 mm across. There will be a number of these mount ulcers occurring at the same time. Generally they form together and in irregular shapes.

Each mouth ulcer in this type can last for a week to two months duration. This mouth ulcer is also called herpetiform ulcer. However there is no connection between herpes and this mouth ulcer.

Many people who get mouth ulcers usually find that they will first get a mouth ulcer between the ages of 10 years of age to 40 years. As there is no identified cause for mouth ulcer development, the reasons why some people will be affected by them are not clear.

However as they are not contagious you do not have to worry about catching them from anyone or passing the mouth ulcer to some one else. In general your mouth ulcer will recur from time to time. There could be periods of days or even years between the ulcers happening. The ulcers tend to occur less as you become older. for many people, mouth ulcers stop coming back altogether.

Author Details:
Wendy Simons, copywriter for various websites including, The A to Z of Home Ulcers, part of an ambitious project to cover various subjects.

Source: Information Junkie

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