Table of contents:
- The difference in symptoms of canker sores and herpes in the mouth
- 1. Causes of blisters
- 2. Symptoms
- 3. Transmission
- 4. The healing period
- 5. How to treat
When the lips or the inside of the mouth feel sore, you will immediately suspect that it is canker sores. But be careful, this condition can also be a symptom of herpes, you know. Yes, the forms of canker sores and herpes in the mouth tend to be similar because they both feel sore. So, how do you distinguish the two? Check out the following information.
The difference in symptoms of canker sores and herpes in the mouth
The appearance of small white blisters in the mouth is painful and annoying. Before you treat it, first determine whether these blisters are really canker sores or are actually symptoms of oral herpes.
In order not to be confused, here are the differences between canker sores and herpes that are easy to observe.
1. Causes of blisters
Canker sores and herpes come from different causes. Quoted from WebMD, health experts do not know the exact cause of canker sores. But usually, this happens because your tongue or lip accidentally bites while chewing food.
Thrush can also appear after you eat foods that taste sour, such as lemons, oranges, pineapples, tomatoes, apples, or strawberries. In fact, if you are currently wearing braces or dentures, these canker sores often appear.
Unlike ordinary thrush, herpes in the mouth or oral herpes is caused by the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). This condition can get worse if you are stressed, often heat up in the sun, are tired, or have other infections such as a cold. The more vulnerable the body's immune system is, the more susceptible you are to getting herpes canker sores.
2. Symptoms
The difference between canker sores and herpes in the mouth can be seen from the symptoms. Although they both cause blisters in the mouth, it turns out that there are distinctive symptoms that distinguish canker sores and oral herpes.
The characteristics of you getting canker sores include:
- There is a tingling or hot sensation before the canker sores appear
- Small, round, white blisters that are surrounded by a reddish streak and are shallow
- Often appears on the roof of the mouth, inside the cheeks, or on the surface of the tongue
- It feels sick to the point that it makes you lazy to eat or just talk
Meanwhile, the symptoms of oral herpes also appear as small blisters. The difference is, these blisters contain fluid and can break when scratched. Unlike regular canker sores, herpes sores usually appear under the nose, on the corners of the lips, or under the chin.
3. Transmission
You can also observe the difference between canker sores and herpes from the transmission. As you probably already know, common mouth sores are not contagious. The reason is, this condition is not caused by viruses or bacteria that can move from one person to another.
On the other hand, canker sores due to herpes are very contagious, even when the symptoms have not yet appeared. Once the HSV-1 virus enters the body, this virus will enter the nervous system and stay there until there is a trigger.
When you experience stress or fatigue, the HSV-1 virus will start to move actively and infect the mouth. Over time, small blisters and other symptoms of oral herpes appear.
Since oral herpes is contagious, it's best to avoid using the same straw, glass, lipstick, or lip balm with other people. This aims to prevent your family or those closest to you from getting infected with the same disease.
4. The healing period
Well, when talking about treatment, canker sores and herpes are also much different. Usually, thrush blisters will break off and heal on their own within 3-7 days.
Symptoms of herpes in the mouth can actually go away on their own, just like regular canker sores. The difference is, the healing period tends to be longer, around 7-10 days.
5. How to treat
Because the causes and symptoms are different, the treatment for thrush and herpes is different. Actually, canker sores will heal on their own without having to be given special drugs. If you want to try a more natural method, you can gargle with salt water to help relieve the pain.
However, if the thrush does not heal, you can take paracetamol or use benzocaine which is applied to the area of the mouth ulcer. Avoid taking ibuprofen or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), as these can actually make canker sores worse in some people.
If you have oral herpes, there are several over-the-counter medications you can use. For example, antiviral creams or ointments that are effective in treating pain and speeding up healing of cold sores in the mouth.
