Your mouth, including your teeth, gums, lips, tongue, inside of your cheeks, roof of your mouth, and throat, is important for breathing, eating, talking, and expressing emotion. Many health conditions can affect these tissues.
Common mouth conditions and their symptoms include:
Other more serious conditions such as mouth cancer can also lead to some of the same signs. A doctor or dentist can help determine which factors are causing your symptoms and recommend proper treatment.
Many mouth problems are caused by infections. For example, viruses can lead to canker sores or cold sores. Bacteria can also trigger canker sores. Yeast, a type of fungus, causes thrush.
Conditions like dry mouth affect everyone from time to time. However, when these problems are ongoing, it may be a sign of another health condition or problems with a medication.
Tooth and gum problems sometimes result from poor oral hygiene, including not brushing your teeth as often as you should. Eating a lot of sugary foods, drinking high volumes of soda, and having dry mouth or heartburn can also raise your risk of cavities.
Other factors can increase your chances of experiencing many different mouth problems. These factors include smoking cigarettes, using chewing tobacco, drinking heavily, and having diabetes or conditions that affect your immune system.
You can have mouth problems diagnosed as part of a regular dental exam. During your appointment, a dentist or dental hygienist will look for cavities and analyse the health of your gums. They may also examine any spots or sores. If one of these spots looks concerning, they may take out a sample of tissue for further testing in a procedure known as a biopsy.
Mouth problems can make it more difficult to eat the foods you need to stay healthy. They can also lead to severe or ongoing pain. Rarely, infections that begin in the mouth can spread to other parts of the body and in some cases may be life-threatening.
Some minor mouth issues, such as canker sores, typically disappear on their own within a couple of weeks. Others may require more serious treatment.
Your doctor may recommend various types of medication, including pastes, liquids, creams, mouth rinses, or pills, to treat mouth problems.
Mouth problems are sometimes caused by other underlying health disorders. In this case, treating the other condition may help reduce mouth symptoms.