Baby Mouth Ulcers: Are These Symptoms for Some Underlying Condition?

As a parent, you will always look up to your baby’s smile. It is something that brings joy to your life. However, there are times when you will be concerned about seeing some bumps inside their mouth, which are not their growing teeth.

These are baby mouth ulcers. These are small bumps that you might notice on their mouth, gums, or tongue. There are various reasons why these happen, the most common being, vitamin deficiencies, injuries, or viruses.

However, according to professionals these are mostly harmless and go away in about a few days without causing any reason for concern.

What Are Baby Mouth Ulcers?

Mouth ulcers are painful baby mouth sores. These can appear in their inner cheeks, gums, or tongue.

These are mostly yellow or white, with a reddish border around it. There are various possible reasons behind it, let’s explore those.

Types of Mouth Ulcers

Well, yes. Baby mouth ulcers also have types. Here are the different types mentioned:

The different types of mouth ulcers are: Canker soresTeething ulcersViral infection ulcersTraumatic ulcers

1. Canker sores: These look like small painful infant mouth sores. The center is white with a red border, and this is the most common type. These mostly happen because of some injury or irritation.

2. Teething ulcers: These ulcers happen because of mild irritation that happens when a baby is teething.

3. Viral infection ulcers: This can happen because of HFMD or hand, foot, and mouth disease which is a viral infection that causes painful blisters in the mentioned areas, or because of the herpes virus. Herpes also causes painful blisters in infants.

4. Traumatic ulcers: This happens when your baby somehow bites their tongue or cheek. This can also happen because of their bottle or pacifier. Even if you got one of the best pacifiers, this can happen.

Sometimes parents mistake oral thrush or candidiasis for mouth ulcers. However, these curd-like white patches happen because of a weak immune system.

Mouth Ulcer in Babies: Reasons Behind

Different factors can cause baby mouth ulcers, and the reasons are mentioned below:

• Viral infection: There are viral infections like herpes virus or hand, foot, and mouth disease that cause mouth ulcers in babies.
• Teething or oral trauma: When a baby is teething, or accidentally presses their gums together hard, or when one of their pacifier or bottle causes irritation, it can cause teething blisters or baby mouth ulcers.
• Nutritional deficiencies: Mouth ulcers in babies also happen because of nutritional deficiencies, like a lack of vitamins and minerals.
• Allergic reactions: If your baby is allergic to spicy food, or acidic ones, it can cause mouth ulcers. These generally happen because of certain food sensitivities.
• Bacterial infection: It is needed that you clean their mouth daily. Poor oral hygiene can cause bacterial infection, which can cause mouth ulcers.

However, baby mouth ulcers are not contagious and do not spread. So, there is one thing that you don’t have to worry about.

Baby Mouth Ulcers: Symptoms & Diagnosis

It is not difficult to identify a mouth ulcer in babies. As far as the symptoms are concerned, you will notice:

• Sores on their inner cheeks, lips, roof of the mouth, gums, or tongue
• Painfulness, even when they are not eating

You can identify these from their oval or round shape and these come in white, yellow, red, or grey color.

Doctors mostly diagnose this by visually examining the insides of their mouths. They ask for their medical history, along with the location and how long it has been bothering them.

There are some key aspects of diagnosing it: Visual examination: The doctor first looks into the details like location, color, shape, and size.Medical history: They will ask for their symptoms, and whether they had a fever if they went through recent changes.Blood test: Doctors often suggest blood tests to check for vitamin deficiencies.Biopsy: If they are recurrent with some unusual characters then they take a sample and give it for biopsy.

Treatment And Home Remedies for Baby Mouth Ulcers

You must be in distress seeing your little one in distress. However, let me tell you that these go away in just a week or two.

If there is any underlying issue like oral thrush which could be causing these ulcers, then the pediatrician might suggest a treatment plan. Otherwise, they just try to relieve the little one of their pains.

Some doctors suggest over-the-counter medicines like ibuprofen (Mortin, Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) to relieve the pain.

Moreover, they recommend you coat the ulcer is some liquid antacids like Milk of Magnesia, or Maalox. But, if the case has become serious, doctors often prescribe steroids.

Home Remedies for Baby Mouth Ulcers

There are some popular home remedies you can try at home to relieve them of their pain.

• Give them a cool, soaked cloth to suck on.
• If you have started giving them homemade baby food, try to avoid any spicy food.
• Apply coconut oil in the area.
• Moreover, give them water frequently to prevent their mouth from getting dry.
• If your baby is more than 6 months old, you can give them buttermilk or yogurt as well.
• Apply a little bit of ghee on their ulcers a few times a day to get rid of it naturally.

Some other effective home remedies people talk about are: Applying aloe vera gel Apply a paste of curry leaves and buttermilk Applying juice of 2 to 3 basil leavesGive them an ice pack or an ice lolly to suck on

Prevention Is Better Than Cure: But How?

It is not very difficult to take care of this. All you have to do is take care of their oral hygiene. Here are some of the important points that you have to remember.

• Gentle oral care: Clean your little one’s mouth with a soft, wet cloth every time after feeding.
• Hydration: Make sure you are giving them enough water in a day.
• Balanced diet: Ensure their diet is filled with vitamins and minerals like iron, folate, and vitamin B12.
• Hand hygiene: Make sure you wash your hands before feeding them and keep their hands clean as well.
• Avoid certain foods: Do not give them spicy or salty food, or food with a rough texture. This can irritate their mouth.
• Check for injuries: When you are playing with them or feeding them, make sure they are not hurt accidentally.

When Should You Seek Medical Attention?

Mouth ulcers are mostly not something serious. However, if you notice any of the symptoms, or if your baby has some other conditions mentioned below, then contact a professional immediately.

• Food allergies
• Dry mouth
• An autoimmune disease
• Periodic fever syndrome
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Experienced trauma or stress
• Baby refusing to eat

Frequently Asked Questions

When discussing baby mouth ulcers, some questions pop up frequently. The questions are mentioned below.

Wrapping Up!

Baby mouth ulcers cause discomfort for babies. However, if you understand the type, and the reason why it happens, you will be able to help your baby better.

However, do not give them any over-the-counter medicines without consulting with the doctor. Also, prioritize their oral health, even though they are tiny, and you think it is not necessary.

So, it is better not to take matters into your own hands and consult with a pediatrician. They will help you through the process.