Right from childhood, your parents and teachers have, no doubt, emphasized the importance of maintaining dental health, by ensuring you brush twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.
However, in numerous households and communities at large, while preserving strong teeth and clean gums are stressed upon, to prevent a host of common medical conditions like cavities, abscess, oral thrush, pus and bleeding tissues, the tidiness of the tongue is, quite often, overlooked. Also Read: Tongue Colour: It Reveals Secrets About Your Health
The tongue is fastened at the back of the mouth, into a robust structure called the hyoid bone. It is a very flexible, muscular assembly, that is crucial for several basic functions, including swallowing meals, chewing on hard food particles to facilitate smooth digestion, as well as for clear and cogent speech.
It is, therefore, vital to maintain the tongue in a meticulous manner, so as to steer clear of infections, bad breath, foul odour, besides painful sores and blisters.
What Are Tongue Ulcers?
Medically termed aphthous ulcers, tongue ulcers are inflamed, reddened, pus-filled bulges, which generally appear on, under, or on the sides of the tongue, as well as inside the lips and cheeks, invariably leading to prominent discomfort while talking, eating and even sleeping.
What Are The Causes Of Tongue Ulcers?
There are various factors that cause tongue ulcers, such as accidental or sudden wounds to the mouth, soreness from braces, microbial infections like oral thrush or hand, foot and mouth disease, extreme sensitivity to spicy food, as well as smoking or taking any other strong medications.
While ulcers on the tongue are very commonplace in people of all ages, from children, teenagers, to the middle-aged and elderly, they are usually a slight health problem and in the majority of cases, do not result in any severe repercussions.
What’s more, they can be easily treated at home, with some incredible natural ingredients and everyday items, from the storage cabinets in the kitchen and the shelves on the refrigerator. Read on, to discover some wonderful home-based resolutions for ulcers, that will guarantee respite from the throbbing sensations and constant aching on your tongue.
Excellent Natural Antidotes To Effectively Heal Tongue Ulcers
Ice Packs
The extreme frozen temperatures of ice packs or ice cubes offer a numbing sensation to the region of extreme pain on the tongue.
After a meal, gently apply an ice pack on the affected areas of the tongue, or chew slowly on an ice cube, to alleviate hurting on the tongue.
Coconut Oil
Bestowed with umpteen antimicrobial elements and emollient properties, coconut oil is a great solution for treating a tongue ulcer.
Dab some coconut oil on a ball of cotton, smear it on the distressed portions of the tongue, leave it on for 15 minutes and then wash it off with lukewarm water. This helps the bulging of the ulcers to subside, as well as keep the tongue tissues moist and calm.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is blessed with the goodness of anti-inflammatory agents, which efficiently reduce engorged parts of the tongue, besides diminishing puffiness, to discharge the pus in the ulcer.
Slowly sip on a cup of cold chamomile tea post consuming food, keep the herbal infusion in the mouth for a few minutes, then rinse the mouth with it. This aids in pacifying the agitated zones of the tongue. Also Read: Enjoy The Soothing Benefits Of Herbal Tea
Baking Soda
The bicarbonate salt content in baking soda is truly a magical cure for healing ulcers on the tongue.
Make a paste using 2 tbsp baking soda in 3 - 4 tbsp water, spread it evenly on the tender, red sectors of the tongue, leave it on for 10 minutes and wash off with lukewarm water. This will tremendously mitigate pain on the tongue, apart from reducing the size of the ulcers.
Salt Water
This is a time-tested therapy, that is virtually a panacea for all health anomalies associated with the mouth and throat, right from coughs, injuries to colds and sore throats.
Gargling the mouth twice or thrice a day, with a glass full of warm salt water, ensures lessening of infection and pain in the tongue ulcers, thereby easing the process of talking and eating as well.
