(The bad news is that the recurrence rate of these ulcers is up to 50 percent and even after one set is treated, another could emerge.)  A canker sore can appear on the tongue, soft palate, insides of the cheeks or lips and base of the gums, often making eating, swallowing, and speaking painful. Canker sores generally start as one or two tender, inflamed red spots, round or oval in shape and these tender spots soon expand to form sores with a thin, yellowish center and a brisk red edge or halo. Small canker sores (“minor aphthous ulcers”) run their course in 1–3 weeks and leave no scar. In contrast, larger sores (“major aphthous ulcers”) typically take longer to heal and may scar. The most severe type of ulceration (“herpetiform aphthous ulcer”) is characterized by multiple lesions occurring simultaneously and often require palliative treatment.  

Most canker sores typically heal without treatment. But if the sores you have are especially large or painful, do let us know and we will treat the sores with a painless and fast-acting medication that will provide immediate relief from this discomfort, and that will help to diminish the ulcer much faster than over-the-counter medications.

Being that stress is one of the major causes of these ulcers, knowing that we are here at The QPD to cure you is a relief in itself.