My husband hasn’t been eating and is favoring his mouth quite a bit. I finally talked him in to letting me take a look. There’s a nasty red sore in his mouth. I winced just looking at it. Is it serious? Does he have oral cancer? Should I see an emergency dentist?

Lillian H.

Dear Lillian,

I wouldn’t panic just yet, and I don’t think you need an emergency dentist. It’s more likely a canker sore than oral cancer. These usually clear up in about two weeks. There are several over-the-counter medications you could try. Things like the discs that are supposed to cover the sore sometimes have trouble staying on because of the saliva, but it’s worth trying.

If your husband has regular appointments with a dentist then his dentist should be checking him for oral cancer at every check-up. If it hasn’t cleared up in a couple of weeks, then it will be worth getting checked out.

I’d also try an anesthetic gel along with some acetaminophen to help with the pain. Hopefully, that will allow him to eat. We don’t really know the cause of these sores yet. The theory is currently that it’s caused by a virus.

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