SAVAGE, LAKEVILLE AND BURNSVILLE, MINNESOTA- Even if you never need braces, the chances are pretty good that you will deal with a canker 
sore or even a cold sore at some point in your life.
Let’s explain a bit about each, so that in the event you’re ever faced with one of these situations, you’ll have a better idea of what to expect and what your treatment options include.
Canker Sores
These pesky ailments are the most common mouth ulcer.
“What’s really frustrating about these ulcers is that their cause is largely unknown,” says Dr. Trudy Bonvino, a children’s orthodontist at the Lakeville and Burnsville pediatric orthodontics office of Cosmopolitan Orthodontics.
A canker sore is a painful sore that can appear inside the mouth in the cheeks, lips, on the tongue or at the base of your gums. Although it is not believed that having braces can create a canker sore, orthodontic treatment can make them more uncomfortable if parts of braces rub against them, says Dr. Bonvino, who also is an Invisalign provider.
This ailment can run in families and also is linked with other diseases, according to Colgate’s website.
Small sores typically heal within two weeks and for most people, they simply are an annoyance. Others are plagued with larger canker sores of a half-inch across or larger, and these can cause pain, leave scars and make speaking and eating difficult.
Canker sores most often are treated with over-the-counter medication.
Cold Sores
Also known as fever blisters, these sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus, and they form around the lip and mouth. A cold sore will turn red, swell and become sore, Dr. Bonvino says. They may even leak a clear fluid and they are contagious until they crust over completely. A dentist or orthodontist can tell you if you have a cold sore.
“Even though they eventually go away on their own, people often feel self-conscious about having them and want to treat them,” says children’s orthodontist, Dr Bonvino, adding that a variety of medications now are available over the counter that can lessen the painful symptoms and perhaps shorten the sore’s lifespan by a day or two.
Cold sores are incredibly common, with as many as 90 percent of American adults having been exposed to the virus, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
You can take steps to avoid getting cold sores by not coming into contact with others who have the herpes simplex virus that causes them. That means not using others’ eating utensils, not drinking after people or kissing people who are infected and experiencing an outbreak.
If you have the virus, stay out of the sun or use sunscreen when you’re outdoors, as the sun can cause a flare-up.
“Try also to avoid getting stressed out, because stress can trigger a cold sore,” Dr. Bonvino says.
© 2011 Master Google and Cosmopolitan Orthodontics. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Master Google, which uses the best press release distribution sites for SEO purposes, is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this article is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.
