Mouth Problems

Ah, the mouth. Without it, how would we ever give a shout out, steal a kiss or down our favorite foods? Thing is the mouth isn't just about getting lippy, giving love or even gorging. The mouth is also a doorway to your overall health. And because the mouth hosts tons of bacteria, it's also prone to serving up a veritable buffet of mouth problems. Fortunately, a healthy saliva flow and good oral hygiene habits can keep the lid on mouth infection. But mouth diseases like thrush and burning mouth syndrome have a nasty habit of popping up when you least expect them. So does mouth pain. If you're game to get the latest word on mouth problems, you've come to the right place.

Q: What are some of the most common mouth problems?
A: Many folks experience dry mouth syndrome (xerostemia) at some time during their lives, especially in the later adult years. But even infants can develop certain mouth diseases, particularly hand-foot-mouth disease, which is a virus that's contagious. Thrush is another common mouth disease; this is basically a yeast infection of the mouth. Oral cancer, gum disease and cold sores are other examples of common mouth diseases.

Q: What can I do to avoid common mouth diseases?
A: With hand-foot-mouth disease, it's important to wash your hands - often. Hand-foot-mouth disease can spread by coming into direct contact with infected saliva, nose or throat secretions, blister fluids and stools or contaminated surfaces.

Practicing good oral hygiene, eating yogurt (especially if taking antibiotics) and treating yeast infections early can help prevent thrush. Dry mouth pain can be avoided by keeping stress levels down, drinking more water and sucking on sugar-free candy to stimulate saliva flow. A mouth infection like cold sores can be avoided by not sharing utensils, cups, towels or other items that come into contact with the mouth. Oral cancer, one of the most serious mouth diseases, can be greatly reduced by avoiding smoking and heavy drinking.

Q: What causes mouth pain?
A: There are a number of things that can cause mouth pain. Common dental mouth problems that may lead to pain include dental abscess, dry socket, tooth decay, impacted wisdom teeth and gum disease. Mouth problems that are linked to medical conditions and may lead to mouth pain include cold sores, mouth ulcers, mumps and acid reflux.