Mouth ulcers and cold sores

Mouth ulcers are sores on the inside of the mouth, lips or cheeks and sometimes on the tongue. They are very common and some people are more prone to ulcers than others. It is likely that customers will have more than one ulcer at a time, which may vary in size. They aren’t infectious but can be painful and irritating and usually heal within a couple of weeks. Due to the open sores, eating certain food (e.g. salty, spicy or hard food) and hot or cold drinks, can aggravate ulcers and cause pain. Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is a term used for repeated cases of one or more painful mouth ulcers.

Cold sores (herpes labialis) are different to mouth ulcers. They appear on the lips and mouth, and sometimes the nose. Often the first sign is a tingling sensation. They are small, painful blisters that then burst and crust over. They should resolve within about 10 days.

Did you know?

Mouth ulcers may affect up to a quarter of the population.