Most people in their lifetime get infected with a canker sore. These are shallow ulcers that appear on the inside of the mouth. They cause great discomfort when eating or drinking to some people. When looking at these sores, a person should appreciate that more often than not, people under the age of 20 years get infected.

There are basically two types of these sores which can be classified as simple and complex canker sores. As for the simple category, a person will suffer maybe two to five times every year while the complex version of the same is a more severe of the former and often attacks people who have previously had the simple sores.

There is no definite known cause of a canker sore. However, stress which can be brought about by certain foods is seen to make the sores appear or even worsen. Foods with high acidity level such as oranges, lemons, pineapples, figs, strawberries and tomatoes and so on are seen to trigger the sores or at times make an already existing sore worsen. At times a tooth condition might trigger the sores such as braces or dentures.

At other times, these sores will appear if a person has an underlying health condition such as a weak immune system. Still a person might have sores if they have nutritional problems like lacking folic acid, Vitamin B12, iron and zinc deficiency. There is also a possibility that when a person has a gastrointestinal disease that they will have these canker sores.

In many instances, a person will confuse cold sores with a canker sore. These two are very different starting with the fact that the cold sores are also known as herpes simplex type 1 and they often appear as fluid dilled blisters. This type of cold affects a person on the outside of the mouth and is very contagious. These sores often affect the outer lips below the nose and above the chin. On the other hand, canker sores appear on the inside of the mouth.

The symptoms of canker sores are quite numerous and a person shouldn’t fail to identify the same. One of the main characteristic is having a painful sore on the tongue, back of the palate and inside of the cheeks. There is a tingling feeling just before the sores appear. The sores are normally white or grey and they have a red lining on the edges. As for the complex sores or those that a person should seek the attention of a medical practitioner, the symptoms will include being sluggish, fever and having swollen lymph nodes.