I had just finished preparing a really nice meal of baked chicken, delicious sweet potatoes, and green beans, with a fresh green salad. My husband and I sat down to eat. Then I took the first bite......"Oh no, another spot!" This nice dinner was no longer going to be enjoyable for me as I dealt with the pain of yet another mouth ulcer. They seemed to be appearing much too often and lingered way too long.
Mouth ulcers can be caused by
numerous culprits. They can also be a symptom of Crohn’s disease or Celiac
disease. Another possible cause of those
irritating sores is a detergent that is added to many brands of
toothpaste. It’s called Sodium Lauryl
Sulfate (SLS) and is used in toothpaste as a
foaming agent. It's also used in shampoos and some skin care products. Many people may be sensitive to this ingredient. SLS can
actually cause damage and irritation to the membranes in your mouth. This in
turn may trigger the formation of ulcers.
In a study done by Herlofson and Barkvoll about this topic, (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7825393) the results revealed that there was a significant decrease in the number of
ulcers when brushing with SLS-free
toothpaste rather than one that contained SLS.
Several months ago I switched toothpastes to determine if SLS was the culprit of mouth ulcers
that I seem to frequently develop. Previously, I could not figure out the cause. Since switching to a SLS-free
toothpaste, I have not had anymore problems with mouth ulcers developing.
If you have frequent formation of mouth ulcers, it’s
possible that you have a sensitivity to SLS,
and it may be worth switching to a SLS-free toothpaste.
Some brands of SLS-free
toothpastes are listed on this website: http://slsfree.net/sls-free-toothpaste/
Enjoy your summer!
Martha
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