Mouth Ulcer Tablet: What Helps, What Does Not and When a Doctor Is Needed

A common mouth ulcer heals by itself in a week or two, so most treatment aims at comfort. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are widely available over-the-counter painkillers. Take either as directed on the label of your pack and do not exceed what it allows in a day.

Ask a pharmacist or doctor first if you are pregnant, have stomach ulcers, kidney or liver disease, asthma made worse by anti-inflammatory tablets, take a blood thinner, or are giving the medicine to a child. Check other products you take, since many cold and flu medicines already contain paracetamol. Never start antibiotics on your own for an ulcer; they do not treat an ordinary mouth ulcer.

Many people reach for a B-complex tablet, riboflavin or a multivitamin capsule when an ulcer appears. These help only if the ulcers are caused by a real shortage of a nutrient such as vitamin B12, folate or iron. In that case a doctor confirms it with a blood test and then advises what to take. Taking supplements without a proven deficiency does not stop ulcers and is not a substitute for finding the cause.

Frequent ulcers can sometimes be linked to low levels of these nutrients, as well as to other conditions. If yours keep returning, speak to your doctor and read our guide on mouth ulcer and vitamin deficiency.

For severe, large or frequently recurring ulcers, your dentist or doctor may prescribe a medicine. This may be a steroid in a form that suits the mouth or another treatment suited to the cause. These are prescription-only and are chosen after an examination, sometimes with blood tests, so they are not something to buy or borrow.

Other causes that need a different approach include viral ulcers, ulcers from a sharp tooth or ill-fitting braces, and ulcers linked to conditions of the gut or blood. See our guides on aphthous mouth ulcers and mouth ulcer home remedies for the common kind.

An ulcer that has not healed in about two to three weeks needs checking by a dentist or doctor, however small it is. So do ulcers that keep returning, ulcers with a hard edge or a lump, ulcers with white or red patches around them, and ulcers with fever or other illness. Tobacco, gutka, paan and supari chewing raise the importance of getting a persistent ulcer looked at. Our guide on seeing a doctor for mouth ulcers explains what to expect, and the mouth ulcers page gives the wider picture.