Stomatitis is an inflammation of the mouth that can involve the gums, the palate, the inner part of the lips and the tongue. Often accompanied by painful canker sores  and blisters , stomatitis can have several causes including poor nutrition or bacterial infections. Let’s discover the natural remedies to prevent and cure it.

• What is stomatitis
• Forms of stomatitis
• Symptoms of stomatitis
• Causes of stomatitis
• How long does stomatitis last
• Is stomatitis contagious?
• How to cure stomatitis
• How to prevent stomatitis

What is stomatitis

If aphtha is a small ulcer located on the mucous membrane of the mouth,  stomatitis is an inflammatory condition of the mucosa itself.

Often the two disorders are associated and consequential .
Stomatitis can affect men, women, the elderly and children. People with stomatitis feel pain, accompanied by difficulty in chewing and swallowing , redness and swelling of the gums and tongue, accompanied by pain when brushing the teeth. Even blood loss may occur.

Forms of stomatitis

There are various forms of stomatitis with peculiar characteristics:

• Aphthous stomatitis: generally affects children and originates from unboiled sheep or bovine milk of animals affected by foot and mouth disease but also from exanthematous diseases or digestive disorders. It brings weakness and fever, and is manifested by swelling of the cheeks, tongue and the formation of painful blisters. 
• Simple catarrhal stomatitis : it presents with redness of some points of the oral mucosa, increased salivation with the formation of small fissures on the sides of the mouth. The tongue appears covered with a grainy yellowish patina, with dry mouth, and burning throat on swallowing.
• Ulcerative stomatitis: this is a lesion of the mucous membrane with necrosis near the gums. Easily extends to the cheeks, lips, tongue, tonsils. It is caused by a microbial infection from poor hygiene or intoxication.
• Antibiotic stomatitis: the intake of broad spectrum antibiotics impoverish the bacterial flora and depletes the amounts of vitamin B. The oral mucosa becomes impoverished with the fall of the lingual epithelium, and pathogenic germs with inflammatory lesions colonize.
• Herpetic stomatitis: generally accompanied by a pharyngeal disease and manifested by herpetic lesions on the entire oral mucosa, with high fever. It generally affects children and is caused by herpes virus , with the appearance of blisters that sometimes ulcerate with bleeding on the gums, tongue and palate.

Symptoms of stomatitis

The specific symptoms are related to the forms of stomatitis described, but in general it manifests itself with

• Pain in the mouth;
• increased salivation;
• formation of ulcerative vesicles;
• redness, canker sores on the tongue and gums;
• halitosis.

The causes of stomatitis

The reasons that lead to the appearance of stomatitis are different; first of all there are viral and bacterial causes , which start from the oral cavity; secondly, other possible causes are due to vitamin deficiencies, specifically vitamins B1, B6 and B12 .
Dental caries, infectious diseases that depress the immune system and the intake of antibiotics that weaken the body, can also lead to the appearance of stomatitis.

How long does stomatitis last

The duration of stomatitis is linked to the form of inflammation manifested, generally the symptoms from peak to remission last about 10 days , with total recovery within 20 days. 

Is stomatitis contagious?

The answer is yes, especially in the case of herpetic and aphthous stomatitis, even if the opinions are different. The vehicle of contagion is from salivary contact and especially in children it is easy to transmit .

How to cure stomatitis

We can intervene on the causes and symptoms of stomatitis with natural remedies that soothe inflammation, rebalance the vitamin intake and counteract the viral load.

• Vitamin B and Vitamin C : to be taken both through nutrition and through vitamin supplements, for their immunostimulating and antioxidant capacity; they help the healing process and remission from stomatitis.
• Sage : Sage has antibacterial, antiseptic and healing properties. An infusion of sage helps to soothe the mucous membranes, clean the tongue, strengthen the gums and counteract bad breath. Rinsing with water and warm sage several times a day help to rebalance the environment of the oral cavity.
• Sodium bicarbonate : with alkalizing properties, it counteracts inflammation, disinfects the oral cavity, helps decongest the vesicles and relieve pain.
• Lemon : lemon juice also helps to counteract inflammation, disinfects mucous membranes and heals ulcerative lesions.

How to prevent stomatitis 

Prevention plays a key role. So here are the natural remedies that we can put in place to remedy this annoying disorder.

• First of all , take care of oral hygiene . Poor dental hygiene can cause the appearance of stomatitis, as well as metabolic alterations – which is why good food hygiene is also essential – can cause them. Brush your teeth thoroughly and gently, using dental floss where necessary and having natural mouthwashes on hand.
• Taking care of your diet means controlling what you eat well: avoiding spicy, too acidic, too cold or too hot foods for a while. Eliminate alcohol anyway, obviously if you also smoke cigarettes. Increase the dose of fruits and vegetables, of foods that contain B vitamins, iron, vitamin C and folic acid. Green light therefore to anti- inflammatory foods, legumes and whole grains .
• Thanks to the presence of tannic acid, black tea is considered a good natural remedy. Infuse a sachet, let it cool, then place it for a few minutes on the painful points.
• Other rinses can be done with a few drops of tea tree oil , effective antibacterial, used as a natural mouthwash, or with tepid herbal teas based on sage, thyme , cloves and nettle . 

Also discover the mother tincture of sage, useful against stomatitis