What Does Roof Of Mouth Sore And Swollen Mean?

Everyone experiences swelling or soreness at the roof of the mouth at some point. This swelling is often troublesome and certainly painful. Reasons for swelling and soreness at roof of mouth could be anything ranging from the use of medications, poor oral hygiene, lack of proper diet and sleep or even bacterial or viral infections.

What Do You Mean By Roof of The Mouth Sore and Swollen?

Sincethe mouth is one of the most sensitive parts in the body, soreness and swelling is the most common presentation of any kind of illness that may include the mouth. These lesions are called Aphthae or Canker Sores.

Canker sores are one of the most commonly seen complaints in an out-patient department setting. These sores can acute or chronic and recurrent. They may be idiopathic, that is, having no certain cause or secondary to some disease process.

Roof of Mouth Sore and Swollen Causes

There is a wide array of causes responsible for a roof of the mouth to be sore and swollen

1. Allergy – Allergic reaction to certain food substances, pollen, drugs, medications or insect bites.
2. Injury – Trauma to the mucosa of the roof of mouth from chewing something hard, injuries due to accidents or while playing, injuries from dental procedures and blunt trauma to the mouth can also cause the roof of the mouth to be sore and swollen.
3. Infections – Bacterial infection can create an abscess at roof of mouth making it sore and swollen. Bacterial infection can also spread to the roof of mouth from an infected tooth. Viral infections are also called “Cold Sores” or “Canker Sores”.
4. Drinking extremely hot beverages or water, alcohol and spicy food can also be some of the reasons why the roof of mouth becomes sore and swollen.
5. Nutrition – Nutritional deficiencies such a vitamin B complex deficiency and protein deficient diet can also be responsible for swelling and soreness of roof of the mouth. Mal-absorption syndromes like Crohn’s disease and celiac disease can cause nutritional deficiencies in spite of the person having a healthy diet.
6. Poor Oral Hygiene
7. Medications – Chemotherapy, radiation or even higher antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-diuretics and anti-retroviral drugs can cause the formation of aphthae.
8. Cigarette smoking can be one of the risk factors for having a sore and swollen roof of the mouth.
9. Psychological stress, anxiety and depression could be the responsible environmental factors.

Roof of Mouth Sore and Swollen Symptoms

1. Painful and Tender – Pain increases when these sores come in contact with salty or spicy food.
2. Difficulty in eating or drinking. Food substances usually irritate the swollen and sore portions even more.
3. These sores are extremely sensitive to touch.
4. Difficulty in speaking may be present due to pain and discomfort.
5. Foul smelling breath is associated with bacterial infections.
6. Presence of fever along with the sores should raise a suspicion of the possibility of a bacterial or viral infection.

Roof of Mouth Sore and Swollen Treatment

Treatment of sores secondary to some other disease condition can be pretty tricky. The underlying cause for these sores needs to be treated first.

• Topical agents are prescribed to manage pain, reduce inflammation and prevent secondary infection.
• Topical antibiotics are used to reduce infection.
• Topical analgesic sprays reduce pain and discomfort.
• Systemic antibiotics are prescribed if the infection is significant.
• Multivitamin supplements help in dealing with nutritional deficiencies. Ascorbic acid or vitamin C supplements help in speeding up the healing process.
• Chlorhexidine mouthwash is advised to reduce infection and to maintain appropriate oral hygiene. Chlorhexidine is a potent agent against herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus, influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus. Chlorhexidine also prevents plaque formation on teeth.

Home Remedies For Roof of Mouth Sore and Swollen

If you have swelling and soreness of roof of mouth without any underlying disease condition, certain changes in diet and regimen can help you deal with the sores without the need for taking any medications. Some natural ways to manage aphthae or canker sores are

1. Hydrate – Drink plenty of water and hydrating fluids like coconut water. Liquids are the only way to flush out toxins from the body.
   In students or people who go through a lot of stress often give a history of having less water than it is normally required.
2. Vitamin C – You need not rush to the pharmaceutical store to buy a strip of vitamin C. Citrus fruits are the richest and most naturally available sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C provides immunological support to the body. Tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, orange, lemon and bell peppers provide natural vitamin C.
3. Vitamin B – Vitamin B complex deficiency is one of the commonest causes of the roof of the mouth to be sore and swollen. There are plenty of research papers to support the fact that vitamin B is the most convenient, cost-effective and a low-risk treatment for aphthae or canker sores. Vitamin B is abundantly found in animal sources like eggs, cheese, fish and chicken. As for vegans, vitamin B is found in plants but is rapidly depleted due to washing and cooking. Avocados, bananas, almonds, dark green leafy vegetables, whole grains and legumes are some vegan sources of vitamin B.
4. Salt Water Gargle – Warm salt water gargling help to rinse the mouth and throat and wash away infection. A saline environment prevents build up of organisms.
5. Fenugreek – “Methi” is rich in anti-oxidants, vitamin C, iron, zinc, calcium and many more. Fenugreek has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
6. Baking Soda – Rinse your mouth with baking soda along with warm water. Rinse with fresh water after that. Baking soda neutralizes acid in the mouth and reduces inflammation.
7. Curd/Yoghurt – It is a natural probiotic. It enriches gut flora which in turn maintains immunity and prevents recurrence of canker sores.
8. Apple Cider Vinegar – Although acids are inhibited during an episode of aphthae, apple cider vinegar can be diluted and used to rinse the mouth. The acidity of ACV curbs bacterial growth in the mouth.
9. Clove Oil – “Laung” has an active ingredient eugenol which has strong anti-infective and analgesic properties. Clove also works as a mouth-freshener to get rid of foul odour.
10. Aloe Vera – Apply fresh aloe vera directly over the sore. It reduces pain and inflammation significantly.

Things To Avoid When Roof of The Mouth is Wore and Swollen

1. Avoid touching or poking the sore.
2. Avoid food that is hard to chew.
3. Avoid oily, spicy and salty food which may irritate the lesions.
4. Avoid aggressive brushing of teeth.
5. Avoid coffee, tea and alcohol.
6. Try to avoid stress

When To Visit The Doctor

• If you observe the persistence of symptoms even after trying out home measures
• If you notice an increase in the size of sore
• Increase or persistence of pain
• Bleeding from the sore
• Fever along with the sores.

It is important to consult a physician in presence of the above mentioned conditions. Also, all the mentioned home remedies should not be used as a substitute for proper medical treatment.

[cl-review quote=”Medically Reviewed By” author=”Dr. Kaushal M. Bhavsar (MBBS, MD)” occupation=”Assistant Professor in Pulmonary Medicine, GMERS Medical College, Ahmedabad” avatar_image=”1325″ source=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fdr-kaushal-bhavsar-a8137355%2F|target:_blank”]

Catherine Nderi

Catherine is a dedicated freelance health and science writer committed to excellence and professionalism. She specializes in health topics including diet and nutrition, immune-related diseases, surgery, and cancer.