Mouth Sores
Medical Term: Stomatitis/Mucositis
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.
- 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
Many things should be avoided as well to prevent sores from developing.
- 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.
Helpful Sites
Stomatitis
Cancer.net: Mouth Sores or Mucositis - ASCO curriculum
OncoLink: Mucositis
The Cancer Journey: Mouth Irritation
National Cancer Institute: Oral Mucositis
