Why Do Canker Sores Hurt So Much?
Canker sores (also known as recurrent aphthous stomatitis or RAS) are round or oval oral ulcers that have red and inflamed borders and yellowish white centers. Canker sores are found inside the soft tissue lining of the mouth, on the inside of the upper or lower lip, on the tongue, and sometimes on the soft palate.
Why Your Canker sores are so painful
The soft tissues in your mouth have many nerve endings. Canker sores are extremely painful because these nerve endings are exposed. There are many causes of canker sores and experts are not exactly sure why some people are more likely to get canker sores than others. Some factors include stress, trauma to the inside of the mouth, acidic foods, nutritional deficiencies, an underlying immune system condition, or dental braces. It doesn’t help that these sores are constantly agitated by food and drinks, further exposing the nerve endings.
It's important to keep your mouth pH balanced
There are ways to help your mouth achieve pH balance so that your canker sores will hurt less and heal faster. Eating foods that are more alkaline will decrease the acidity in your mouth. Keeping your mouth moist also helps because your saliva is a natural buffer with antimicrobial substances. One way to increase your saliva production is to chew sugar-free gum. You also want to choose foods that are soft so that they don't scrape and aggravate the ulcer. For soft food choices for your canker sore, click here.
