Mouth sores are a painful ordeal. They make eating and drinking difficult and may be something more severe if you don't look into them.
Dr. Giulio Cavalli can help assess your mouth sores. Your Pittsfield, MA, ENT can tell you about the different types of sores and how to treat them.
White Patches
When people chew their cheeks, or wear dentures or braces, the skin is irritated. The white patches developed inside your mouth is only healed when you stop the habit, or remove the oral application causing irritation.
Cold Sores
The contagious and painful fluid-filled blisters appear on the lips or around your mouth, and is caused by the herpes simplex virus. If you're suffering from a fever, sunburn, or hormonal change, the sore may manifest itself. There's no cure but prescription ointments help alleviate pain.
Candidiasis
The painful red and beige-colored patch results from a fungal infection. Candidiasis makes it difficult to taste and swallow, and usually affects people suffering from immune system problems.
Canker Sores
These painful sores appear in the mouth and aren't contagious. The small sore has a red border and pain is reduced with the use of prescription medication and/ topical treatments. Canker sores take one to two weeks to be treated.
Oral Cancer
Oral cancer appears as painless canker sores on the tongue, or floor of the mouth, and any tissue near the mouth. The most common precancerous cells are leukoplakias, which manifests as white lesions near the tongue, cheeks or gums, and erythroplakia, which are red elevated lesions that have a great chance of becoming malignant.
To diagnose either of them, leukoplakias and erythroplakia, you need to undergo a biopsy with your Pittsfield ENT.
If you are worried about oral cancer or have a painful mouth sore that won't go away, you can schedule an appointment with your ENT, Dr. Giulio Cavalli. Your Pittsfield, MA, doctor can be reached at (413) 443-6116.