Why Do Canker Sores Hurt?

Canker sores are extremely painful lesions inside the mouth. They are usually small with a red border and whitish center. They tend to disappear on their own in a few weeks. Major eruptions can require medical intervention in the form of antibiotics, steroid medication, or cauterization. Also called aphthous ulcers, women are more often affected by them than men and an individual with a family history of their occurrence is more likely to have to deal with having the irritations themselves. The chance of a recurrence of the sores tends to decrease with age.

Canker sores can develop along the soft tissues of the mouth due to a number of factors. Diet, the toothpaste ingredient sodium lauryl sulfate, dental injury, and menstrual hormones may all contribute to the inflammatory process as well as immune responses to oral bacteria. Underlying disorders may also play a role - infection with the bacterium Heliobacter pylori, the pathogen associated with peptic ulcer formation, has been implicated with canker development. Inflammatory and bowel diseases such as Crohn's, Behcet's, and ulcerative colitis have also been implicated as has celiac disease, a gastrointestinal sensitivity to gluten.

Inflammation is a reaction in the tissue mediated by the cells of the immune system. If the body is already suffering from an inflammatory process, the cells will be in a higher number and already activated - the response to an injury or foreign invader will be swift and escalated. If it is a new infection there may be tissue injury, and a larger area to be inflamed, before the process can fully begin. A tingling or burning sensation sometimes felt before a lesion develops may be the signs of a battle beginning within the tissue.