Showing posts with label mouth care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mouth care. Show all posts

Sunday, September 30, 2012

How to Treat Stomatitis (Singaw)

Stomatitis or singaw is commonly described as painful mouth ulcers that could be found on the gums, inner sheeks, tongue, lips or palate. This tiny little enemy in the mouth causes you losing appetite and and even talking.

There are different causes of stomatitis. It could be viral, bacterial, simply mouth irritation, or cold sores. Unlike the first three causes, cold sores (also known as fever blisters)  are contagious. This is caused by herpes simplex virus type 1.

Treatment of stomatitis should be depended on the root cause of the sore. Below are the different treatment for the common symptoms of stomatitis.

To ease the pain and inflammation, try applying the following strategies :
  • avoid spicy foods, hot beverages, and citrus fruits and drinks
  • suck on ice popsickles or gargle on cold water
To treat the possible infection, you may do the following:
  • rinse mouth with 1 cup of cold water with a tablespoon of salt. Do its as often as you can. Salt acts as an antiseptic.
  • using hydrogen peroxide is also one way of killing bacteria. with 1:1 ratio of hydrogen peroxide and water, you already have an antibacterial mouthwash
  • baking soda with water (1:1 ratio) is also one suggested treatment for mouth ulcers
  • antiviral medications as recommended by physician. 
To relieve the pain,  you can you the following as per physician's advise :
  • tylenol
  • topical anesthetic agent such as lidocaine, or xylocaine
  • topical corticosteroid preparations.
Boost your immune system with:
  • Adequate fruits and vegetables
  •  proper exersice and adequate rest and sleep
Stomatitis, or mouth ulcers should no longer than 2 weeks , even without treatment. If still persists, you better have an appointment with your physician about proper assessment and management.  Some patients with mouth ulcers needs deficiency test for vitamin B 12 or folate.

However, the most important thing to do is to perform frequent mouth care not only concerning your teeth but also to your gums, palate, and tongue. Soft bristled toothbrush is advisable to clean your teeth and slight sweeping on the gums and tongue. Proper mouth rinsing is also recommended. Also, you must avoid alcohol based mouthwashes..

Thanks for reading.

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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Solution to Bleeding Gums


Bleeding gums?

If you experience seeing the spitted toothpaste colored dark brown or reddish on your lavatory, be warned. That could mean that you have gum diseases or you have been using the wrong tooth brush, unless you had eaten or drank a red-tinged food or drink that caused the alarming color in the spits after brushing.

I experienced the same thing for the past three months. I was alarmed but never had the chance to go for a check-up. That’s the time I have been searching the net for answers.
Using the right tooth brush for you is very important. Soft bristled toothbrush could be the best for everybody. I changed by toothbrush into a children’s toothbrush. I did not have bleeding gums anymore.

Some of us would think of whitening their teeth by using a hard-bristled brush. You might be using the wrong method. Toothpaste, bleaching agents, and avoiding beverages that stain teeth are solutions for whitening. Tooth brushing is an important method of removing plaques, preventing cavities, and maintaining a fresh breath.

FACT: Dentists say that plaques are soft and should be remove without force.

Using soft bristled toothbrush is best recommended. Nevertheless, its size should be enough to reach the farthest teeth at the back of your mouth.

Forcing and the use of hard toothbrush can result to gum irritation which results to bleeding. However, this is not the only reason for gum bleeding. It could be gingivitis ! If you think that changing your tooth brush did not relieve bleeding and you find your gums looks reddish or grayish, GO FOR A CHECK-UP.


*note: I am not a dentist. I am a nurse. These information written above were advised to me by my dentist and readings thru internet.  Want to know more about me? Check my About me Page. Click here