Home Blog

An injury to the skin can cause a blister. Lesions on the inner side of the cheeks and mouth are known as mouth blisters. Blisters in the mouth can be seen in groups or single, and can be very painful and uncomfortable. Blood blisters in the mouth are different from normal blisters as they contain blood. Often people confuse blood blisters with a mouth ulcer. A mouth ulcer is an open wound and is white in color. Blood blisters are very painful and red in color.

Blood Blisters in Mouth

Blood blisters occur when the blood vessels located under the outermost layer of the skin gets ruptured. Blood blisters in the mouth are very painful, and their presence makes it very difficult to chew food properly. Blood blisters in the mouth can occur on the gums and tongue. A rough brush stroke or formation of a wound due to braces or even a bite on the inside of your lips or cheeks can cause blood blisters in the mouth.

Causes

Blisters in the mouth are a common condition among people. Blisters in the mouth can occur due to a variety of reasons and can affect people of all ages. Even though many factors can cause mouth blisters, the most common cause is eating spicy or acidic food. Other causes include:

• A deficiency of B12, iron, or folic acid
• Hormonal changes
• Excess stress
• Wearing dentures that don’t fit properly
• Bowel disease
• Neutrophil dysfunction diseases
• Behcet’s disease

A food allergy may also result in blood blisters in the mouth. People with allergies to citrus foods may be prone to such blisters. Alcohol abuse, oral herpes, certain prescription drugs, and cheek biting are some other causes that may lead to blood blisters in the mouth.

Treatment

Generally, blisters disappear on their own. However, blisters that occur due to bacterial infections or herpes should be treated by a doctor. Antiviral medicines are prescribed to treat such blisters. To relieve pain, in severe cases, pain killers may also be prescribed. Medicated mouth washes, medicated toothpastes, ulcer gels, and corticosteroids are also recommended to treat blisters in the mouth.

Blisters that occur because of a nutritional deficiency can be treated by adding nutritional supplements. Eating a balanced diet and avoiding spicy, acidic foods that can damage the inner lining of the mouth help to prevent blisters. Use of toothpaste that has high content of sodium lauryl sulfate should be avoided in order to prevent getting blisters in the mouth.

Home Remedies

One can treat blisters in the mouth with the help of home remedies. However, it is best to consult the doctor if the blisters do not heal or worsen. Some of the common home remedies are as follows.

• Chew basil leaves twice daily. It not only helps treat blisters but also prevents bad breath.
• Mulberry juice can alleviate painful blisters.
• Add coriander seeds in water and boil them. Gargle with this water thrice a day. It will help to treat blisters.
• Frequent blisters can be prevented by eating bananas and curd every day.
• You can also apply peppermint oil to get relief from the pain and irritation caused by blood blisters.
• Drinking tomato juice regularly helps to prevent blisters.
• Garlic oil can be a good disinfectant and can be used to soothe mouth blisters. Chewing a garlic pod helps to treat tongue blisters.
• Mix glycerin and turmeric powder and apply this mixture on the blisters to treat them.
• A mixture of coconut water and honey can be used for gargling. Honey has healing properties and coconut water is cooling.
• Gargling with hot and cold water alternatively is one of the simplest home remedies for mouth blisters.
• Apply honey or honey wax on the blisters.
• Use an antibacterial mouthwash twice daily.
• Applying a cold compress on the blood blister can minimize the discomfort.
• Add sea salt to lukewarm water or make a solution of baking powder and water, and use this as a mouthwash. This saline mixture sterilizes blisters and allows them to heal faster. It can also soothe the pain and discomfort.
• Chewing cardamom grains helps to cure blisters.
• Aloe vera juice will also soothe blisters.
• Stay from acidic foods
• Do not squeeze the blood blisters. This can further aggravate the problem and lead to a secondary bacterial infection.
• Instead of using brushes, brush your teeth with your finger.

There is no need to panic unless the blood blisters in the mouth becomes a chronic problem. If there are no other factor contributing to blisters in the mouth, they will heal on their own within a week. It may take more time if the blisters are large or occur around the salivary glands.

References

1. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003059.htm
2. http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/003059trt.htm