Using Lasers to Treat Canker Sores/Cold Sores

By Tontra Lowe, DDS

Awesome Smiles Dental Center

. http://awesomesmilesva.com/

More Dental Health Articles

Using Lasers to Treat Canker Sores/Cold Sores

Mouth sores can be small, but they can hurt a lot. You know exactly what I mean if you’ve ever had a canker sore on the inside of your lower lip or the right side of your tongue. Eating grapefruit or drinking a tall glass of orange juice can be excruciating. Or, if you have had one of those annoying cold sores on the outer corners of the lip that show up just in time for a Zoom meeting or celebration to attend, you can totally understand why having a quick solution to get rid of these painful sores is beneficial.

Canker sores, also known as aphthous ulcers, are small lesions that develop on soft tissues such as the inner lip, tongue, or gum. They are not contagious and usually last 7-10 days. You can buy medicine over the counter to treat them or stay away from acidic liquids and foods to let them heal. But what if you could reduce 10 painful days to one or three? Which would you prefer?

Cold sores are herpetic lesions, are viral in nature, and “appear as fluid-filled blisters,” according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Although primarily on the lip, they can show up closer to the nose or around the mouth. They are contagious at certain stages and can look unattractive as they dry, form a scab, and eventually go away, only to show up shortly, almost in the same spot. Does only three days of having these visible sores sound better than 10?

Dental lasers can help with the safe, almost pain-free resolution of these lesions in as little as one session. We can use low-level laser therapy to heal tissues quickly, with no downtime or discomfort, and with little chance that the lesions will recur in the exact location. Some patients will require multiple sessions. Imagine you have a celebration or conference to attend, and you feel the undeniable twinge of a cold sore starting. A quick call to your laser dentistry office could save you pain and embarrassment and reduce recovery time – a complete win, win, win.  

Remember, not all dental offices offer laser therapy. Ask if your dentist can help you with pain-free laser treatments for sores in the mouth. You won’t regret it.