Munh Ke Chhale (Mouth Ulcers): Kyon Hote Hain aur Kab Dikhana Zaroori Hai

Munh ke chhale kya hote hain? (What mouth ulcers are)

Mouth ulcers, called munh ke chhale, are small, painful sores inside the mouth, usually round or oval with a white or yellow centre and a red edge. The most common kind, aphthous ulcers, appear on the inner cheeks, lips, tongue or under the tongue, and heal on their own within one to two weeks. They are not contagious.

Munh me chhale kyon hote hain? (Causes)

Mouth ulcers are most often caused by minor injury, such as biting the cheek, a sharp or broken tooth, a rough filling or braces, and by stress, lack of sleep, very spicy or acidic food, and hormonal changes. Ulcers that keep coming back can be linked to low iron, vitamin B12 or folate, or to gut conditions, which a doctor can test for.

Many people in India say chhale come from pet ki garmi, heat in the stomach. There is no evidence for that as a cause, but things often blamed alongside it, such as very spicy food, stress and poor sleep in hot weather, can contribute. Treating the real trigger works better than cooling remedies.

Chhale jaldi kaise theek karein? (What helps them heal)

To help mouth ulcers heal faster, rinse with warm salt water a few times a day, avoid spicy, salty, sour and very hot food until they settle, brush gently with a soft brush, and ask a pharmacist for an over-the-counter mouth ulcer gel. Smoothing a sharp tooth or rough filling stops ulcers that keep coming back in the same place.

• Helps: warm salt-water rinses, soft and cool food like curd and khichdi, plenty of water, a soft toothbrush.
• Avoid until healed: chilli, pickle, citrus, very hot chai, crisps, gutkha and tobacco.
• See a dentist: if a sharp tooth, broken filling or brace keeps cutting the same spot.
• See a doctor: if ulcers keep returning every few weeks, to check iron, B12 and folate.

3 hafte ka niyam: kab doctor ko dikhayein? (The three-week rule)

Any mouth ulcer, white patch, red patch or lump that has not healed within three weeks should be examined by a dentist or doctor, as NHS guidance also advises. See someone sooner if the ulcer is painless and hard, keeps growing, bleeds easily, or comes with numbness, a loose tooth with no clear reason, or a lump in the neck.

Chhala ya cancer? Gutkha aur tambaku ka khatra (When it is not just a chhala)

Most mouth ulcers are not cancer, but early mouth cancer can look like an ulcer that does not heal, and it is often painless. India has one of the highest rates of oral cancer in the world, largely because of chewing tobacco, gutkha, paan and areca nut. Anyone who chews and has a patch or ulcer lasting three weeks should have it examined promptly.

A biopsy, removing a small piece of tissue under local anaesthetic for laboratory testing, is the only way to know what a suspicious patch is. Found early, mouth cancer is far more treatable. Stopping tobacco and areca nut is the single most important step for anyone who chews.

• An ulcer that has not healed in three weeks, especially if painless or hard-edged.
• A white patch (leukoplakia) or red patch that cannot be wiped off.
• Stiff, pale inner cheeks and difficulty opening the mouth (oral submucous fibrosis), linked to areca nut and gutkha.
• A lump or thickening in the cheek, tongue or neck, or unexplained numbness.

Baar-baar chhale hona (Ulcers that keep coming back)

Recurrent mouth ulcers, appearing every few weeks, are usually minor aphthous ulcers, but they are worth investigating. A doctor can check blood levels of iron, vitamin B12 and folate, and look for gut conditions such as coeliac disease. A dentist can look for a sharp tooth, an ill-fitting denture or a brace that keeps injuring the same spot.