[IR] Mouth Ulcers

I was inspired to write this article, because right now, I have two ulcers in my mouth, and they are causing me unbearable pain when I eat, drink or brush my teeth. As a matter of fact, I get ulcers very frequently, and find them the most irritating thing in the whole world. The most ulcers I had in my mouth at a time was 8. I could barely eat, I had to eat porridge all day, thankfully it was during the school holidays so I could stay home and rest. But anyway, after some research, I realised that my ulcers are called aphthous ulcer, which looks like this:

An aphthous ulcer is a painful open sore inside the mouth. It appears as a white oval with an inflamed red border.

So, what is its cause???

Well, there is no exact cause. So I will never no what causes my ulcers but apparently, citrus fruits (e.g. Oranges and Lemons) can play a part in causing these sores.

I will never look at you the same, my sweet, juicy, delicious, ulcer causing friend.

Also, lack of sleep could be a possible cause. This explains a lot as I have gotten ulcers less frequently when I was in the afternoon session in Primary School, where I could sleep till 9am.

There is even a condition known as Sutton's Disease for major, multiple, recurring ulcers. It is one of the most common oral conditions. 10% of the population has this condition. These are the people who record having more than one ulcer per month. In fact, 30 to 40% of patients who have Sutton's Disease report a family history. My father, and two of my paternal aunties also have recurring aphthous ulcers. Does this explain my situation? Yes. I think I can safely diagnose myself with Sutton's Disease. Being a doctor seems easy enough now, just look at the symptoms from Wikipedia, compare it with the patient's symptoms and voila! You are done and can make millions of dollars.

Its interesting to note that people above the age of 55 very very rarely get ulcers.

I don't get ulcers! Isn't that nice honey?
 Let me go grab my glasses and make you a nice cup of hot cocoa.

The Remedy?

Step 1: Avoid eating spicy foods.

Step 2: Rinse with Mouthwashes.

Step 3: Proper Oral Hygiene.

I will definitely try these methods to get rid of the ulcers in my mouth now.
See you next week, for my first experiment post.