February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. The National Children’s Dental Health Month is a…
Can Stress Cause Canker Sores?
Canker sores can be a real pain, literally. These sores, which have a white appearance with a red border can occur out of nowhere and be extremely painful. They are not contagious and as of yet, there is no definite reason for their appearance. One common denominator that has been noticed, however, is stress. There is no treatment or prevention for these sores, simply staying away from acidic foods, watching your stress levels and washing your mouth out with an antimicrobial mouthwash can help to ease the pain.
How Stress is a Factor
Stress is a factor in many illnesses throughout the body. It is the main cause of a diminished immune system, which could be causing canker sores. When your body is not operating at its best, viruses and bacteria can take over, causing different issues throughout your body and mouth. Canker sores are suggested to be one of those issues. When you are stressed, your body is unable to fight off the germs that it would normally fight off, which results in sores throughout your mouth.
Fighting the Stress
The key factors in decreasing the outbreak of canker sores in your mouth is getting adequate sleep, eating a healthy diet and finding an outlet for your stress. These simple remedies may not prevent canker sores altogether, but they will give your body a fighting chance at avoiding them, at least frequent occurrences.
Home Remedies for Canker Sores
If you do end up with an outbreak of canker sores, there are simple ways that you can diminish the pain. Keeping your mouth clean is an essential component, which means brushing and flossing at least twice a day. When you brush your teeth, be very careful around the sore. Use a soft brush with very little pressure to help keep the area clean without harming the sore. Along with watching your diet, you should keep the consumption of spicy foods to a minimum, apply ice to the area if the pain is unbearable or use over-the-counter numbing agents to temporarily handle the pain.
If you find that you have numerous outbreaks of canker sores or they are not going away on their own after two weeks, call our office and we can help to determine that they are canker sores and nothing more serious.
Dr. Jordan Cooper is from Jacksonville, AR. His father is Dr. James Cooper, a Jonesboro, AR native and practicing dentist of 39 years and his mother, Tracy Cooper, is a dental hygienist from Little Rock. Dr. Cooper graduated high school from Central Arkansas Christian, after which he entered at the University of Arkansas as a Chancellor’s Scholar in 1998.
Dr. David Cole is a graduate from the University of Arkansas, receiving his degree in 2016, and is a huge Razorback fan! He then went to dental school at the University of Tennessee where he received his D.D.S. in 2021. He looks forward to getting to know the Central Arkansas area, and serving his community!
Dr. Rasmussen is a Hot Springs native who graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 2017 (Go Bears). After receiving his D.D.S from The University of Tennessee in 2021, he is looking forward to serving the central Arkansas community and the wonderful people who live here.
Dr. James Cooper was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He studied at the University of New Mexico and graduated from dental school from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. After 2 years of dental experience with the Army, Dr. Cooper moved to Jacksonville in 1973 to practice dentistry.