Each of us has had ulcers on the lip at least once, regardless of gender, age and other differences.
What does their presence mean? In what situations do ulcers occur in the mouth due to biting, and when should you seek help from a doctor? We will answer all questions in this article. Most often, painful mouth ulcers on the lip are found after a good night's sleep. It happens that you awkwardly laid your head, and your jaw shifted, and your teeth bit the soft tissue of the mucous membrane. The next morning, this place may swell, a small bubble will appear, which will cause pain when talking or eating. In such situations there is no need to worry. After a while, the ulcer on the inside of the lip will disappear. This usually takes a couple of hours or a day.
Much more unpleasant are cases when a painful mark does not disappear for several days, and subsequently similar formations are found in the mouth. They indicate that you are faced with ulcerative stomatitis. This is the name of an inflammatory disease that is accompanied by white sores on the lips, as well as on the palate, tongue and inner sides of the cheeks.
In a similar way, a complex form of stomatitis manifests itself, in which it is difficult to eat food, there is a tendency to dehydration and infectious infection (often diagnosed in patients with immunodeficiency).
The causes of the disease are:
- low immunity;
- alcohol and cigarette abuse;
- oral injuries;
- transfer of bacteria into the mouth through unwashed foods, household items, etc.;
- drinking low quality water and food.
In some situations, the disease can be triggered by allergic or toxic reactions to medications, materials and drugs used in dental procedures. Hormonal imbalances, circulatory problems, intestinal inflammation and stress also cause the disease.
What is stomatitis
Stomatitis is a group of dental diseases that have similar manifestations. The disease looks like inflammation of the oral mucosa, localized on the inside of the cheeks, on the palate, gums, lips, and tip of the tongue. In rare cases, lesions are diagnosed in the pharynx, on the tonsils - such formations are the most difficult to notice.
Typically, stomatitis develops as an independent disease as a result of a sharp drop in immunity, chronic infection, or allergies. The disease is contagious only in rare forms, but if left untreated, it quickly spreads through the mucous membranes of the oral cavity - it can provoke a sharp rise in temperature, causing weakness and prolonged malaise.
Stomatitis also manifests itself as a complication or symptom of other diseases - influenza, gastritis, diabetes, bronchial asthma, HIV infection.
Retention cyst on the lip: treatment
A lump on the inside of the lip is treated in the same way as a lump under the tongue.
There is only one treatment option - surgery, which involves removing the entire cyst (there are no other treatment options). The surgery is very simple and usually does not take more than 15 minutes of the dental surgeon's time. It is performed under local anesthesia with lidocaine solution, and you will not feel any pain at all. It looks like this: a small incision is made on the surface of the mucous membrane next to the cyst, through which the entire cyst is removed, along with its contents. After this, 2-4 sutures are placed on the edges of the mucous membrane, which will need to be removed after about 7 days.
Removal of a retention cyst: video of the operation
During the operation, it is very important not to damage the cyst membrane, because if the walls of the cyst collapse, it is immediately lost in the tissues, and it is almost impossible to remove it entirely after this. If you leave a small fragment of the cyst shell in the tissues, the retention cyst on the lip will appear again.
Stomatitis: symptoms
Since stomatitis is an inflammatory process, the manifestations of the disease are standard. Dentists identify signs of stomatitis:
- redness, formation of a hyperemic area in the oral cavity;
- swelling, swelling of the affected area;
- the appearance of erosions, ulcers, aphthae;
- itching, burning at the site of ulcer formation;
- gray or yellowish coating along the edges of the canker sores;
- pain when talking, opening the mouth, or touching the mucous membranes of the mouth;
- bleeding due to accidental damage to plaque;
- local temperature increase.
Patients also note an unpleasant taste in the mouth, a putrid odor, and loss of appetite.
Causes of cheilitis
The inflammatory process can begin for multiple reasons. One of the most common of them is mechanical injuries: for example, accidental biting can cause inflammation.
The development of the disease can also be provoked by:
- unfavorable environment (people who spend a lot of time outdoors and are exposed to wind, frost and other weather conditions are more likely to suffer from cheilitis);
- aggressive action of cosmetics or an allergic reaction to some of their components;
- lack of vitamin B2, which is responsible for the division and growth of epithelial cells;
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, lack of immunity.
Stomatitis: causes
A variety of factors and diseases contribute to the development of stomatitis in adults. For ease of diagnosis, doctors combined the causes of stomatitis into four groups, highlighting the main problem conditions:
- Mechanical injury. Ulcers appear as a result of some irritating factor. Damage can be caused by eating hard foods, poorly installed dentures, tartar buildup, and sharp edges of chipped crowns. Pathogenic microflora enters the damaged area, causing inflammation and active formation of ulcers.
- Chemical or thermal burn. Aggressive chemical agents can be food (citrus fruits), medications, nicotine, incorrectly selected toothpastes or mouth rinses. Thermal burn occurs when consuming excessively hot food or drinks.
- Poor oral hygiene. Failure to comply with regular hygiene procedures, tartar, and plaque provoke the active proliferation of bacterial microflora, which leads to inflammation of the oral mucosa.
- Chronic diseases. In adults, stomatitis develops as a reaction to problems of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, due to anemia, endocrine pathologies, and HIV infections.
In addition to the listed categories, the causes of stomatitis can also be internal problems:
- vitamin deficiency, micronutrient deficiency - unbalanced diet, metabolic disorders in the body;
- allergies - of any origin;
- heredity - the individual reaction of the immune system to deteriorating health;
- a general decline in immunity - as a result of serious illnesses.
Unfavorable factors become catalysts for the development of pathology, and external circumstances aggravate the course of the disease.
The variety of causes points to an important point: there is no obvious causative agent of stomatitis. In order for an ulcer to localize, several circumstances must coincide - decreased immunity for any reason, an abundance of pathogenic microflora in the oral cavity, a traumatic agent.
Causes of Fordyce granules
This is a light rash that can form on the lips, cheeks, genitals and groin area, on the chest, oral mucosa, and other places. At the moment they are not considered a pathology, but sometimes cause discomfort. Another name for granules is seborrheic cysts. They are not transmitted by contact and are more of an aesthetic defect.
Most often, their occurrence occurs during puberty, when hormonal changes occur in the body. It is believed that the formation of these white pimples on the lips may be due to the close location of the sebaceous glands to the surface of the skin.
There are the following reasons for the appearance of white pimples on the lip:
- smoking;
- abnormal location of the sebaceous glands;
- improper care;
- hormonal disorders;
- narrowing of the excretory canals of the sebaceous glands.
This rash may resolve on its own.
Types of stomatitis in adults
Effective treatment of stomatitis in adults begins with the diagnosis of pathology. Identifying the provoking factor is one of the main tasks of the dentist. The situation is aggravated by the fact that many reasons are similar - they overlap each other, distorting the clinical picture. For this reason, only experienced doctors treat stomatitis in adult patients.
There are a variety of classifications of stomatitis:
- according to the course - acute periodic, chronic, recurrent;
- by external manifestation - redness, aphthae, erosion;
- by localization - on the lip, on the tongue, on the palate, in the throat.
When diagnosing and selecting a treatment plan, dentists try to take into account the versatility of the disease - the form, causes, degree of damage to the mucous membranes, stage of the disease, and other classification parameters. Based on these factors, it is customary to identify the most popular types of stomatitis in adults:
- aphthous;
- ulcerative;
- herpetic;
- candida;
- prosthetic;
- allergic;
- ray.
Aphthous stomatitis
Aphthous stomatitis is characterized by the appearance of round ulcerative formations covered with necrotic plaque. This is the most common variant of the disease - it occurs in 65-70% of dental patients.
The causes of aphthae formation are viral and bacterial diseases. Localization of ulcers is on almost any mucous tissue of the oral cavity.
Initially, the patient is faced with the fibrinous form, when local blood circulation is disrupted. If left untreated, the disease turns into a necrotic form, accompanied by tissue death, or into a scarring form - the mucosal tissue changes structure.
Ulcerative stomatitis
Ulcerative stomatitis is characterized by the formation of deep, painful ulcers in the mouth. They usually arise due to:
- poor hygiene - a large amount of plaque on the teeth, tartar;
- problems with the gastrointestinal tract - metabolic disorders;
- chemical burns - abuse of especially spicy foods.
Lesions affect the deep layers of tissue, so treatment of ulcerative viral or bacterial stomatitis in adults is carried out only by a dentist according to a carefully developed plan.
A separate type of ulcerative stomatitis is ulcerative-necrotizing gingivitis, Vincent's stomatitis. The cause of the disease is the active proliferation of pathogenic microflora, the influence of spindle bacillus and Vincent's spirochete. The disease is observed against the background of a sharp decrease in immunity and is characterized by reactive development. Patients complain of swelling of the gums, suppuration, pain, putrid breath, and loss of appetite. Without treatment, tissue necrosis progresses and tooth roots are exposed.
Herpes (herpetic) stomatitis
Viral herpetic stomatitis is a contagious variant of the disease provoked by the herpes virus. Transmitted through hygiene items, through negligence, by airborne droplets.
Externally it differs from other types, since the lesions look like fluid-filled blisters before turning into ulcers.
During treatment, the doctor conducts complex therapy, including taking medications.
Candidal stomatitis
The cause of candidal stomatitis is a fungus that causes the appearance of a cheesy coating on the oral mucosa. Underneath the plaque is a swollen, inflamed area. When the formations are removed, the tissue surfaces begin to bleed.
The causes of the disease are decreased immunity and poor hygiene. Treatment requires careful selection of drugs so as not to aggravate the situation.
Prosthetic stomatitis
The pathology is typical only for adult patients, as it is a consequence of improper prosthetics, individual intolerance to the crown material, and poor quality of care for the orthopedic product.
The disease manifests itself as inflammation of the soft tissues around the prosthetic structure, turning into ulcers and erosion.
Allergic stomatitis
A distinctive feature of the disease is dryness and itching in the mouth. This is how increased sensitivity to allergens manifests itself. At the site of the inflamed areas, aphthae and ulcers quickly form. In severe cases, an ulcerative-necrotic form may develop.
Pathology happens:
- acute - single manifestation;
- chronic - with constant relapses and complications.
Treatment requires an integrated approach.
Radiation stomatitis
The reason for the appearance is the patient undergoing radiation therapy or chemotherapy and, as a result, a decrease in immunity. It occurs acutely - with inflammation and ulcers. Requires careful attention from the doctor during treatment to avoid worsening the situation.
Cheilitis in children
Depending on the age of the child, he may experience a certain type of cheilitis.
Newborns suffer from a catarrhal disease caused by the prolonged presence of a pacifier or bottle in the mouth. Plus, saliva accumulates on the nipples of the lips, irritating sensitive baby skin.
If the disease is ignored, hoping that it will go away on its own, cheilitis will develop into an exfoliative form, accompanied by the formation of scales, which the child will not be able to remove himself (parents are highly discouraged from interfering in this process, since attempts to tear off the crusts can cause cracks, which will only aggravate the situation ).
Constant sucking of the mother's breast is an equally common cause of the development of the disease: during feeding, cracks form on the nipples, into which bacteria penetrate, which causes cheilitis.
