Sometimes, the cracking and redness that appears at the corner of the mouth is simply a cold sore. These cold sores are very common, and they usually appear and vanish without ever really causing any harm. Using certain types of lip balm can even make them go away more quickly. However, if you’ve ever had a cold sore appear and then last for longer than usual, you may have the bacterial or fungal infection known as angular cheilitis. How will you know? If the sore starts to spread across your lips and mouth and starts to cause incredible pain, you’ve got this infection. It will eventually cover your entire mouth, and the sores will make it very painful to eat or drink.

This type of infection affects people regardless of their age or gender, although it can be aggravated by certain things. It is caused by saliva building up in the corners of the mouth, and doing things like excessively licking your lips or biting them can be a contributing factor to this infection. Wearing dentures that do not properly fit also cause moisture to be captured in the corners of the mouth. Other causes include an iron or Vitamin B deficiency and having an allergic reaction to things like some toothpastes or some lipsticks.

It’s very important that you get your angular cheilitis outbreak diagnosed by a health care professional as soon as you suspect that it’s more than just another cold sore. If you get it diagnosed quickly enough, you can get medication and have it cleared up in no time. However, if it goes untreated, you may have to deal with these painful sores for weeks or even months, and during that time, you’ll suffer every time you try to eat.

Treatments

There are a couple of different prescription angular cheilitis treatments that your doctor may prescribe once he or she has diagnosed you with angular cheilitis. The first of these angular cheilitis treatments is an antifungal or topical steroid. This is a type of gel that you put on your sores several times a day. It will help both with the pain and with the cause of the infection, and within a few weeks, most if not all of the infection should be gone. The other type of medication is a pill that you hold in your mouth until it dissolves. You do this four or five times a day for two weeks, and even after all visible signs of your infection are gone, you still take the pills for a few days to clear up any lingering bacteria or fungi.

An Alternative Treatment

If you’re looking for a different type of treatment, there is a new and unique angular cheilitis cure that is available online. This treatment is all natural and has been proven to be very fasting acting and successful in treating angular cheilitis cases around the world. Do you want to know more about it? If you do, simply visit the website for more information.