Mouth Treatments

Cold Sores

Nothing can ruin your day quite like getting that itchy, tingling feeling around your mouth that makes you suspect a cold sore is on the way. Then it happens – the small blister-like spots in or around your mouth appear and that’s it, you have a cold sore.

But what causes cold sores? Cold sores are caused by a virus called the herpes simplex virus that you can catch from other people by close contact such as kissing or sharing cups, cutlery or towels. Do not be alarmed by the word “herpes” – there are actually two types of herpes simplex virus, cleverly named type 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2). Cold sores are usually caused by HSV-1. So, if you have a cold sore, you do technically have herpes, but not the type that can cause uncomfortable conversations.

If you get cold sores, you’re not alone. Around 80% of adults have had a cold sore at some point*. The virus can be sneaky, remaining inactive (we call this being ‘dormant’), but can still be present in your system, even when you don’t have a cold sore. Things that can trigger a cold sore to pop up include:

– A weakened immune system 

– Fatigue

– Having your period (menstruation)

– Stress

– Weather conditions (like exposure to sunlight, cold or wind)

– Alcohol

– Common colds or a fever

*HealthDirect. Cold sores [August 2020]. Available here.

Unfortunately, the herpes virus is highly contagious and is usually spread when we make direct contact with it – for example when kissing, or sharing drinking containers, eating utensils, towels or toothbrushes. Which means that from the first signs that a cold sore will be making an appearance on your face, it’s time to cancel date night, choose a designated cup, cutlery and towel (you should already have your own toothbrush) and take action with Nyal Antiviral Cold Sore Cream. This cream contains the effective active ingredient aciclovir to help fight the virus to speed healing so you can get back to sharing your kisses with friends and family.

The good news is, cold sores usually clear up on their own after about 2 weeks. In order to help relieve the symptoms until this happens, reach for Nyal Cold Sore Cream to help provide effective soothing, healing, protective relief from symptoms of cold sores and cracked lips.

Toothaches

Have you or someone in your family experienced sharp shooting pain in the mouth? Or a dull throbbing pain? That is most likely due to a toothache which can be a real pain in the… teeth. Toothache is generally a sign that there might be a problem with your teeth or gums. How it feels (apart from painful and frustrating) can tell you a lot about the cause:

– Toothache that is sharp and shooting should be assessed by a dentist immediately. This pain is usually caused by a dental injury, a cracked tooth or inflammation of the soft pulp inside your tooth. This pain can often be triggered by eating or drinking something hot or cold. 

– A toothache that is dull, throbbing and possibly persistent is more likely due to tooth problems, food impact, irritation and swelling of the gums or a wisdom tooth infection.

For temporary relief of toothache, try Nyal Toothache Drops. They combine the active ingredients ethanol, phenol, and the anaesthetic benzocaine to help relieve the pain and discomfort of toothache and tooth pain, so you can get back to your day. See your doctor or dentist if the toothache lasts for more than 2 days or you think you may have an infection (your mouth is red, swollen, painful and there’s a bad-tasting discharge).

Mouth Ulcers

Mouth ulcers can be annoying, painful and, well, annoying! They happen when the delicate tissues lining the inside of your mouth are damaged in some way. This can be anywhere in the mouth from inside the lips, inside the cheeks, on the bottom of the mouth, to the gums or tongue and are usually round and grey/white in colour.

The most common cause of mouth ulcers is injury, like accidentally biting the inside of the cheek or damage from sharp teeth, dentures or braces. In some cases mouth ulcers can keep coming back again and again. This happens to about  20% of people and as you can imagine, can be very frustrating^. That’s because having a mouth ulcer can make it difficult to talk, eat, drink or brush your teeth due to the tenderness of the skin. They can be uncomfortable but in most cases, mouth ulcers are harmless and resolve by themselves within 10 to 14 days.

Things you can do to help them heal:

– Avoid touching the sore area

– Avoid overly hot or spicy foods and drinks

– Drink plenty of fluids

– Rinse your mouth with salty water 

– Use Nyal Mouth Ulcer Gel to help relieve pain and discomfort of mouth ulcers, sore gums, and palate, lips and denture discomfort.

^HealthDirect. Mouth sores and ulcers [December 2019]. Available here.

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