What exactly is a canker sore?

ferfer72

It's an aphthous ulcer. It's an open sore in the mouth caused by a tear in the mucous membrane. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphthous_ulcer Nov 04 07, 7:43 PM

zbeckabee

A canker sore is a painful, open sore in the mouth, which is white or yellow and surrounded by a bright red area. A canker sore is benign (not cancer). Canker sores can run in families. They may also be linked to problems with the body's immune (defense) system. The sores may occur after a mouth injury due to dental work, aggressive tooth cleaning, or biting the tongue or cheek. Canker sores can ALSO be triggered by emotional stress, dietary deficiencies (especially iron, folic acid, or Vitamin B-12), menstrual periods, hormonal changes, food allergies, and similar situations. They occur most commonly with viral infections. In some cases, the cause can not be identified. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000998.htm#Definition The following link lists several techniques for getting rid of canker sores...the powdered alum works great: http://www.sciencetitans.com/Pla-to-Chi/canker_sore-cankersore.html Nov 04 07, 8:39 PM