Mouth Sores – Coping Strategies – The Life Raft Group

Mouth sores, or stomatitis as it is referred to in medical textbooks, can develop as a result of cancer treatment. There are many ways to help prevent and reduce the occurrence of mouth sores.

How to prevent mouth sores:

Good oral hygiene is a must and very important in the fight against mouth sores.
Make sure to brush teeth in the morning and night and after each meal or snack.
When brushing, use a soft bristle toothbrush to avoid irritating the gums too harshly.
Keeping your lips and mouth moisturized will also help ease the pain from sores and possibly even prevent them from forming.
Try rinsing your mouth after each meal, when waking up and before going to bed with a salt water or baking soda and water solution to keep the mouth clean and moisturized. To make sure your mouth stays moisturized, you can use a baking soda-water or salt-water solution every two hours.
A lip balm can be used to keep your lips from getting chapped and dry.
Sucking on an ice cube, also called cryotherapy, in general can also help prevent mouth sores from developing.
If your sores become painful, use creams such as Orajel and Ambesol.
Making a special mouth wash of equal parts of water and one of the following: xylocaine viscous solution, zovirax, Maalox, or Mylanta can also help to ease the pain. Take two teaspoons of the combination mouth wash every 2-4 hours as needed.
Biotene Mouthwash, Peroxyl mouth wash
Do not use any tobacco products or drink alcohol as both can irritate the lining of the mouth, causing sores.
Consuming foods that are too hot in temperature, acidic, or spicy may also cause mouth sores to develop.

Of course, discuss any issues you have as a result of taking medications for GIST with your physician. It is easy for sores to become infected, and your doctor can check very easily for this.