Last week I blogged about canker sores. This week I will discuss another common type of mouth sore: cold sores.
What are cold sores?
Cold sores, also known as fever blisters, are groups of fluid filled blisters. Annoying and painful, they can be seen around the lips, sometimes under the nose, or around the chin.
What causes them?
Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 and are very contagious. The initial infection (primary herpes), which often occurs before adulthood, may be confused with a cold or flu and can cause painful lesions to erupt throughout the mouth.
Once a person is infected with primary herpes, the virus stays in the body and causes occasional attacks. Recurring cold sores look like multiple tiny fluid-filled blisters that most commonly appear around the edge of the lips.
For some people, the virus remains inactive or dormant. For others, cold sores can follow a fever, sunburn, stress, emotional upsets or a break in the skin.
How do you treat them?
Cold sore blisters usually heal in a week by themselves. Over-the-counter topical anesthetics can provide some relief. Your dentist may prescribe antiviral drugs to reduce these kinds of viral infections.
Thank you for reading. I encourage you to leave comments or questions below. To learn more about my practice, please visit www.elitesacramentodentist.com
Your friendly dentist,
Dr. Sarah Po
Apr. 27, 2010
Source: http://www.ada.org/2982.aspx?currentTab=1
