What Causes Canker Sores?What Causes Canker Sores? Good question... The short answer - just two words - Nobody Knows! However, there is some agreement among scientists that damaged oral tissue is the primary cause. And there are many ways for damage to oral tissue to occur. Some of them are obvious, while others... not so much. One answer to the question, "What causes canker sores?", is damage to oral tissue. If you chew on your lips or interior cheeks, you may be damaging the skin sufficiently to allow bacteria to enter, reulting in a mouth ulcer. You don't have to chew on it regularly or consistently either. One good accidental bite on your lip, cheek, or tongue, is all it takes to start an outbreak. Dental appliances can also damage oral tissue. Another source of damage is that needle your dentist sticks you with to numb your cheeks and gums. Throughout my life, I've noticed a strong correlation between visits to the dentist to have work done and the eruption of sores in the vicinity of the injection site. Another answer to the question, "What causes canker sores?", is, believe it or not, your toothpaste. Most commercial toothpastes contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or SLS. I hope you enjoy having your mouth washed out with soap because that's pretty much what SLS is. It's a detergent foaming agent. Toothpaste manufacturers say they use it to help mix water-based and oil-based ingredients. The real reason they use it is for the foaming action, to make sure you feel like something is happening when you brush your teeth. And because SLS is a soap, it can dry out the your oral tissue. This drying may damage skin cells and lead to the formation of mouth ulcers. At the very least, the drying action of SLS will give you bad breath. Some of the other answers to this question include stress, a malfunctioning immune system, and nutritional deficiencies. Food allergies are also recognized as a possible cause as are viral infections. Hormonal changes, especially those resulting from menstrual periods, have also been cited as a cause One final thought... Mouth ulcers seem to be inherited. If your parents get them... If your brothers and sisters get them... I'm sorry to have to tell you there's a good chance that you-know-who is going to get them, too. And that's what causes canker sores.
So that's what causes canker sores...
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