Tongue ulcers are not uncommon. They can happen due to a variety of causes.
They can be triggered by emotional stress or dietary deficiencies. These are usually very small ulsters situated at the tip and sides of the tongue more often but can actually affect any part of the buccal cavity. They usually occur in groups and are thin and have a rather punched out appearance. They are usually very painful.
Another common cause of oral ulcers is a chronic dental ulcer due to a sharp tooth or malfitting dentures. Their edges are usually sloping and they may discharge blood and pus.
They often seem to start by themselves as a small bubble or blister (this stage is easy to not notice) which then becomes an open and ulcerated pit or crevasses when the pain really starts. Alternatively they can be started by trauma to the lining of the mouth (e.g. by accidentally biting oneself).
The worst thing about mouth ulsters is the pain that they cause, which is constant, excruciating and made worst by eating, drinking and talking.
Severe ulcers cause sufferers to actively avoid eating, drinking, talking and kissing. Speech is painful resulting in a loss of clarity or enunciated – and sometimes spitting, which doesn’t help. Sufferers often get worn down by the pain and become fatigued and depressed, and so I have been told, irritable too.
Avoid mouthwashes and toothpaste with a powerful “anti-microbial action” they will get rid of the good guys as well as the bad, so if the balance is bad, it will still be bad. Use salt and baking soda.
Tip the bacteria balance in your favour by adding more good guys, acidophilus, natural kefirs and yogurt. Let the live cultured yogurt sit in your mouth. As it turns to pure liquid spit it out, and do it again for 15 minutes.
When you have an ulcer, if a whitish coating appears, and you can stand the pain, slough it off with your toothbrush or Q-tip.
