The problem with going to the doctor with mouth ulcers, and asking “what is causing this”, is that they really don’t know.

The exact causes of mouth ulcers and why some people are more susceptible than others is not known. However I have compiled a list of reasons that I believe can cause mouth ulcers based on my own experience and what others have said too.

Each heading covers a broad reason and then I go into more details. Hopefully this can give you some ideas of how to cure yourself and reduce the occurrences of mouth ulcers / canker sores.

There are many causes so I am going to split this into a number of articles. This is the first one of four.

Summary of causes on this page:

• Tissue Damage
• Vitamin Deficiency
• Immune System
• Lifestyle
• Physical

Tissue Damage

I have certainly experience ulcers occur after biting my lip or chewing on something hard. It is as if the action causes a small cut out of which comes an ulcer, if you are unlucky.

The tissue damage can be caused by:

• Biting the inside of your mouth
• Abrasions, cuts or bites
• Cutting gums with your toothbrush
• Chewing your tongue
• Teeth Grinding
• Sunburn to lips
• Chewing gum

For prevention of this happening, you need to look at reducing the chances of you accidentally biting your gum etc. Have a chat with your dentist to see if they can give advice, and perhaps use an alternative habit. E.g. chewing gum whilst working could be replaced by squeezing a “stress ball” or tapping fingers etc.

Vitamin Deficiency

Mouth ulcers can be linked to deficiencies in nutrition, especially vitamins. A deficiency in vitamin B12, iron, folate can be the issue. Taking a multi-vitamin supplement may help and is a fairly inexpensive approach. I use a supplement called Multibionta which I find is very comprehensive but also quite affordable. In the UK the cheapest place to get this is Boots chemist who offer a 3 for 2 deal almost permanently on this, as well as effectively 4% cash-back through their loyalty card.

In addition to vitamin supplements you will find of course that vegetables offer an abundent supply of vitamins. However modern farming processes mean that they don’t supply necessarily the same quantities of vitamins as they used to, so I would consider also the vitamin supplements.

Immune system

I can definitely attest that feeling run down and lack of sleep is linked to mouth ulcers. Also drinking too much alcohol, which affects quality of sleep and the immune system I find can also cause mouth ulcers to come up or make them worse.

If you are feeling generally run down, mentally or physically low, have a cold / fever / virus or bacterial infection then you could be at more risk of getting mouth ulcers. The key is simply to rest, get enough sleep, eat a nutritious diet (take supplements as well). I recommend “Cats Claw” supplement for boosting the immune system, I have used it a lot myself and I am very sure it is this that helped me overcome problems with my immune system and constantly feeling tired.

Also look at emotional causes of feeling run down such as stress, getting angry, depression and bereavement. This is a big topic but in a nutshell I recommend learning more about how to cope with these dark emotions by reading books, or seeking counselling.

Lifestyle

People have quoted airplane travel, lack of exercise, too much exercise, too little sleep dieting and dehydration as causes in their life that they link to mouth ulcers. If you can identify with these then you have a relatively easy change you can make to have an affect on reducing occurrences. Think of the mouth ulcers as an indicator that you need to look at your lifestyle.

Physical

Similar to lifestyle, but looking at acute things that could bring on mouth ulcers, people have mentioned these things:

• Hunger
• Change in altitude (I guess mountain climbing or air travel then!)
• Pollution
• Hot weather
• Use of detergent

Look out to see if simple changes can make them occur less frequently. For example with detergent there are many natural alternatives, and perhaps you can clean your kitchen floor, bath, tables etc. with just water sometimes rather than use bleaches and chemicals every time. There are special “eco-clothes” that have an anti-bacterial action even if you just use them with water.

Part 2 of this article can be found here.