ulcer problem

[Icntoan]

A friend of mine has given up smoking. However, since stopping she has suffered constantly with really painful mouth ulcers. This has happened every time she has quit in the past and she always ends up going back on the cigarettes as she can't stand the pain. Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice as to how to overcome them?. The GP hasn't come up with anything helpful other than to take Vitamin C. This hasn't helped. Thanks

[gina32]

i keep on having ulcers and when i was at my dentist i told him and he refered me to a specialist at the hospital and i was seen within a month, go to your dentist and mention and see what they say

[sqad617]

Your friend sounds as though she has aphthous ulcers which mab be painful, but not serious or life threatening. Cause is unknown and there is no curative treatment. Oddly enough it has been reported that there is an increase in frequency in people who have stopped smoking. Treatment is to ease the pain rather than any curative approach. Steroid Gel or lozengers pleaced over the ulcers. relieve the pain. Approx 25% of the population will suffer from aphthous ulcers at some time in their lives.

[Lakitu]

My pal got really bad ulcers a lot when she gave up smoking, she bog bonjela, I'm not sure if that helped, but they eventually stopped.

[Icntoan]

Thank you all for your comments and advice. Much appreciated.

[Lakitu]

She bog bonjela? haha! bought....

[4GS]

This happened to me, my dentist recommended swishing my mouth with 'corsodyl' (SP)? but tell your friend to beware, it works wonderfully but tastes like cold cat vomit in your gob

[Icntoan]

Mmm...that sounds lovely. She has told me that the dentist suggested some gritty stuff that was foul..wonder if it is the same thing! I'll pass the message on though cos if it works......
Thanks

[NiceCupOfTea]

I remember reading that, when you give up smoking, mouth ulcers can be a problem. Scarily, it seems that the ciggies actually kill the bacteria in your mouth that cause them. When you give up smoking, therefore, you no longer kill the bacteria with smoking and need to find other ways of doing so. A friend of mine swilled her mouth out about twenty times a day with a really strong salt solution. It was three table spoons of salt to a glass of warm water. Her ulcers stopped after about six weeks.

[Icntoan]

Thanks for that. That sounds a little more pleasant! It is good to hear that people have overcome the problem so hopefully this will give my friend the willpower to perservere.
Thanks again.

[beejaybee]

I always use good old salt water as a mouthwash. The chemicals that are in mouthwashes is frightening.In bongela & similar products there`s an ingredient called SORBITOL which can cause diarrhoea.

[Icntoan]

I agree, sometimes the old-fashioned remedies are the best. I never use mouthwash as I heard that it kills off the good bacteria in your mouth thus causing more of a problem. Thanks for taking the trouble to reply.

[MrXLA]

Mouthwashes don't kill off the 'good bacteria' and secondly the idea of 'good bacteria' is a MASSIVE over simplification of the complex interactions that occur between commensal organisms at various regions in your body. You can't technically think of any of them as actually being 'good'.
Sqad617 has given the most accurate and appropriate response.

[Icntoan]

Thank you for putting me straight.