The first canker sore

If this is the first time you are dealing with a canker sore or think you may have a canker sore, it is wise to have it checked out by a physician. Yes, the mouth sore will probably go away in a few days. Yes, there is not too much that the doctor can do to cure the canker sore. But going to the physician for a first time canker sore is important for at least two reasons. First, you want to find out if what you are dealing with really is a canker sore. There are many mouth sores that can mimic a canker sore. While you can probably make the diagnosis yourself, you also do not want to miss a more serious diagnosis.

Second, the physician will rule out other diseases that might be causing the canker sores. For example, if you have a vitamin deficiency, that problem can be easily fixed through dietary changes and supplementation. Moreover, the vitamin deficiency may be causing other issues besides aphthous ulcers of which you were not aware.

Sometimes canker sores are the first indication that a person has celiac disease. A doctor can rule this out through blood tests. Likewise, inflammatory bowel disease and certain autoimmune diseases may first manifest as a mouth sore. There are a number of other tests that can be run during the diagnosis of canker sores that will exclude other diseases.

Major aphthous ulcers

If you think you may have a major aphthous ulcer, understand that this type of canker sore can scar the tissues of mouth. Major aphthous ulcers are bigger lesions than the minor form and fewer of them appear at once than the herpetiform type. These canker sores last about twice as long as minor canker sores and are very painful. Since inflammation in the mouth sore is mostly to blame for tissue scarring, a physician can prescribe canker sore treatments that can reduce or prevent this permanent deformity.

Immune system diseases

If you have a chronic disease that affects the immune system or are receiving immunosuppressant therapy, you should notify your doctor when you notice a canker sore. Once the aphthous ulcer takes hold, it can be very difficult to treat in the context of an immune system disease. Some diseases that place patients at increased risk for canker sores are:

• Behçet syndrome
• Cancers of the Oral Mucosa (mouth)
• Celiac disease
• Crohn’s Disease
• Histoplasmosis
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and AIDS
• Sweet syndrome
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Also, patients that have had organ or tissue transplants and are on immunosuppressants may be at additional risk. To a lesser extent, people that take a daily dose of corticosteroids (relatively high dose) may also be more susceptible and should seek medical attention for canker sore treatment.