A Young Oenophile’s Ordeal with Mouth Ulcer

Yolanda was very annoyed when she learned that she had an ulcer in her mouth. She could easily win an award as the number one ‘oenophile’ in her town if ever there was one. 

Oranges were her beloved fruit and of course, she could not indulge in her favorite because of the silly mouth ulcer.

She started to grow frustrated, and this was evident. Her biddy, a wise woman in her late forty’s suggested she seek medical assistance. 

Yolanda booked an appointment at Dr. Ronald Baise’s dental clinic in a scuttle. 

When she arrived at the dentist’s clinic, she asked Dr. Baise ‘What is a mouth ulcer?’ to which he replied

‘A mouth ulcer, also commonly referred to as Canker Sore, (although this is actually something different), is a small lesion in the mouth. This can occur on the lips, tongue, gums, cheeks, or on the roof of the mouth itself. Mouth ulcers can be very annoying simply because they hold you back from enjoying your meal.’

mouth ulcer

But do not worry yours does not look as bad I have seen in all my years of practice. To this, Yolanda catechized ‘Dr. Baise, what does a mouth ulcer look like?’ Dr. Baise was familiar with this question. Over the years, his patients had more or less asked him the same sequence of questions. He grinned and answered, ‘In most cases, mouth ulcers are light yellow in color at the center. The exterior is reddish.

The inflammation gives it this color. It is also accompanied by some swelling.’ Yolanda was confided with the dentist’s explanation, but she grew curious and asked ‘Tell me more Dr. Baise, what causes a mouth ulcer?’ Like most medical professionals, Dr. Baise took great pleasure in spending time educating his patients about the condition he was treating them for. He dived in right away, ‘Almost all single ulcers in the mouth are caused by things that you can avoid.

These include biting the inside of your cheek, drinking hot beverages may cause minor cuts or burns, which may develop into a mouth ulcer. Some patients have a lower tolerance to certain food whereas some may have allergies to certain food. Most common among all are the ones that damage their gums while brushing. They brush too hard or use toothpaste which may be the cause of irritation to the gums.’ 

In other cases, mouth ulcers are caused by things that are out of your control. These may include changes in the hormone, the patient’s genes, IBD, or coeliac disease’ Yolanda stopped the doc at once and asked, ‘What is IBD?’ Dr. Baise swiftly answered ‘IBD         stands for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. But let’s leave that for another time. She conceded and took a pause before asking her next question. 

She looked nervous. Dr. Baise out of concern asked her if she was alright. She replied with a question that was bothering her, she asked ‘Dr. Baise, are mouth ulcers contagious, I mean I have an 18-month-old daughter, and if she would develop something like this how on earth would I find out? ’ 

The dentist took a deep breath and cajoled Yolanda that mouth ulcers were not contagious and that she had nothing to worry about. The young woman’s eyes lit up and she was glad to hear this. 

‘I have one last question doc. How long does it take for the mouth ulcer take to go away and is there some medication that I must take’ asked Yolanda? 

‘In your case the mouth ulcer is harmless. It should disappear on its own in a week or two. If it bothers you too much you cannot bear the discomfort, I would recommend pyralvex gel. The doctor gave her instructions to apply the gel. Yolanda felt relieved and walked away from the clinic. A few days later, she was able to enjoy her favorite fruit (oranges) again. 

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