{"id":8301,"date":"2026-08-19T19:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T15:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nbdental.ge\/piris-ghrus-tsklulebi\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T19:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T15:54:00","slug":"piris-ghrus-tsklulebi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nbdental.ge\/en\/piris-ghrus-tsklulebi\/","title":{"rendered":"Mouth Ulcers: Causes and Treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Oral<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mouth ulcers are defects of the oral mucosa. Anyone who has ever had this problem has probably wondered what causes it and how to treat it. There’s no simple, single answer, because mouth ulcers can appear with diseases or injuries of the soft tissues of the mouth or tongue, or be a local sign of general diseases. Let’s shed more light on this and look at the cases in which ulcers appear on the oral mucosa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As already mentioned, a mouth ulcer points to diseases or injuries of the mouth and tongue, or is a local sign of general diseases. Let’s look at each of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ulcers caused by diseases or injuries of the soft tissues of the mouth.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1.<\/strong> Recurrent aphthous stomatitis –<\/strong> a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by periodic outbreaks of aphthae (small ulcers) on the oral mucosa. Aphthae may appear on the tongue, the cheek mucosa, the hard and soft palate, and the lip mucosa. They are painful. In some cases, with chronic injury, an aphtha may turn into a long-lasting non-healing ulcer that leaves a scar after it heals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Aphthous<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis usually suffer from colitis (inflammation of the large intestine). The disease may also be preceded by nervous tension, minor injuries to the mucosa – for example, while brushing – and menstruation. An aphtha heals within 7-10 days. When the disease is complicated, the number of aphthae and their healing time increase, lasting from 2 to 4 weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Herpetiform stomatitis<\/strong>
It is characterized by multiple small ulcers that look very much like those of herpes simplex. As a rule, it affects women under 30. The ulcers are mainly located on the underside of the tongue and the floor of the mouth. They have no sharp borders and have a grayish base. Healing usually ends without scarring within 7-10 days. In simple forms of stomatitis, white ulcers are seen (more precisely, the ulcers are covered with a thin, whitish or grayish, loosely attached film). White ulcers also appear in children with candidiasis or fungal stomatitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for treating stomatitis, the form of the disease and the severity of the damage are taken into account. On that basis, general and local treatment is prescribed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Recurrent necrotizing periadenitis (Sutton’s aphthae)<\/strong>
It is characterized by the formation of a hardening in the submucosal layer, after which painful ulcers with raised, hardened edges appear in that place, accompanied by an inflammatory infiltrate (a mixture of cellular elements, blood and lymph). The ulcers are located on the upper and lower lips, the cheeks and the sides of the tongue. Eating is very painful, so patients often refuse food. Even simple talking can cause pain. The ulcers don’t scar over for months, and the disease lasts for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sutton's<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

4. Bednar’s aphthae<\/strong>
They occur only in children and are traumatic erosions. They are caused by poor oral hygiene or rough mechanical impact on the palate mucosa (which is exactly where they are located). They are covered with a whitish-yellow coating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Traumatic ulcer<\/strong>
In the mouth it is most often the result of physical impact, hence its name. As a rule, such an ulcer appears as a result of accidentally or deliberately biting the mucosa, or injury from a toothbrush. Dental treatment can also provoke a traumatic ulcer (careless use of dental instruments, sharp edges of prosthetic structures, etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traumatic ulcers include so-called prosthetic ulcers, which appear under the influence of complete or partial removable dentures. Such ulcers appear directly under the denture. As a rule, healing takes 10-14 days after the traumatic factor is removed. They don’t need treatment, because traumatic ulcers are painless and small. In other cases, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial medications are prescribed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ulcers can also be caused by the effect of acids or alkalis on the mucosa, and by some medications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ulcers as a local sign of general diseases on the oral mucosa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Tuberculosis of the oral mucosa,<\/strong> usually a secondary manifestation of pulmonary tuberculosis. It appears when tuberculosis bacteria get onto a damaged surface of the oral mucosa. It affects the inner lining of the cheeks, the tongue and the floor of the mouth. At first, typical tuberculous nodules appear, and then, as they break down, small ulcers form and grow over time. The ulcer itself isn’t deep; it has a loose base covered with bleeding granulations (young tissue), irregular edges, and is soft to the touch. With this disease, the ulcer is very painful. Besides the local signs, the general condition also worsens: weight loss, more coating on the tongue, increased sweating and body temperature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tuberculosis of the oral mucosa is treated in specialized institutions. As for local treatment, in this case the mouth is sanitized during remission (when the disease subsides), and the mucosa is treated with antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Syphilis –<\/strong> a chronic infectious disease caused by the so-called pale treponema. All stages of the disease (except the incubation period, which lasts 21-24 days) are characterized by ulcers in the mouth. At the first stage there is a painless, round or oval ulcer with raised, even edges and a specific infiltrate. The base of the ulcer is bright red, shiny or covered with a dark grayish coating. Even in tertiary syphilis the ulcer isn’t painful, unlike a tuberculous ulcer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ulcer is surrounded by a large infiltrate – a dense, bluish-red ridge raised to the level of the mucosa. The edges are smooth, bright red, covered with granulations and bleed easily. After the ulcer heals, a puckered star-shaped scar remains. This process takes 3-4 months. After the ulcers heal, scars remain that point to past syphilis. General treatment of syphilis is carried out in a venereology hospital; local treatment is carried out during remission or recovery (sanitation of the mouth, removal of local traumatic factors).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Acute necrotizing gingivostomatitis<\/strong>
This belongs to the viral infectious diseases. Ulcers most often appear on the gum mucosa, the soft palate and the tonsils. Favorable conditions for this disease arise when the body’s defenses are weakened, the integrity of the mucosa is damaged, or there is a vitamin deficiency. The disease has been described developing against a background of exhaustion or frostbite. It may also be a complication of viral infections, as well as allergic stomatitis. It mainly affects young people (under 30), more often men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symptoms include pain when eating, extremely bad breath, increased salivation and a raised body temperature. The gum mucosa is swollen, painful and bleeds on touch. The gum margin is covered with a grayish-yellow coating that comes off easily. The ulcers have soft, irregular edges covered with a dirty-green (foul-smelling) coating that comes off easily, exposing a loose, bleeding base. The surrounding tissues are swollen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treatment of necrotizing gingivostomatitis depends on the body’s general condition, the location and severity of the disease. In moderate and severe forms, broad-spectrum antibiotics and antihistamines (anti-allergy medications) are prescribed. At any stage of the disease, vitamins C and P, high-calorie food and juices are prescribed, and in some cases, as indicated, heart medications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local treatment is carried out under anesthesia (removal of the necrotic coating). The mouth is treated with warm antiseptic and anti-inflammatory solutions. After the acute inflammation subsides, professional oral hygiene is carried out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mouth ulcers can also appear with HIV infection (in 30% of people with HIV). How are ulcers treated in this case? Treatment is specific and is carried out by infectious disease specialists. Dental care is provided at all dental institutions with maximum safety precautions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prevention of all the mouth diseases listed above lies in eliminating their causes. For example, in the case of infectious diseases, their entry into the body must be prevented. In other cases, general health-promoting measures are important, including regular personal and professional oral hygiene.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Find out what causes mouth ulcers and how to treat them. The article covers the forms of stomatitis and effective treatment methods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":5212,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-therapy","category-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nbdental.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nbdental.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nbdental.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nbdental.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nbdental.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nbdental.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8301\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nbdental.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nbdental.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nbdental.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nbdental.ge\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}