You may be wondering “Why the roof of my mouth is swollen?”, “Why the roof of my mouth is bruised?” or “Why the roof of my mouth itches?” All of these questions will be answered in detail below.
Having a sore on the roof of your mouth tissue can be due to a number of reasons so one must not immediately assume the worst possible case scenarios. Some reasons may be harmless, whereas, some others may be a bit more invasive.
In some cases, the sore may tend to go away within a week or two, in case it doesn’t then one must head straight to a doctor for it to be evaluated and get a checkup.
If the roof of your mouth is hurting it can lead to a burning sensation, which may then cause problems and make it difficult for you to eat or drink.
To answer your question of “why does the roof of my mouth hurt when I eat?” here are some of the possible causes:
Bumps & Burns
This scenario generally arises when hot and steaming or spicy foods or beverages cause bumps on your palate due to instant burns. The skin or the surface on your hard or soft palate tends to be much more delicate than the surface of your tongue, due to which it tends the roof of your mouth, tends to burn straight away.
Even a very minor or quick burn can cause the roof of your mouth to form bumps. This then results in damaging your palate, which then not only burns it and causes bumps but also causes blisters or swelling.
A burned or damaged palate generally tends to heal by itself within the span of a week, more specifically 3-7 days. In order to ease the discomfort and not cause further damage, and quicken the healing process, you can stick to consuming softer meals and cooler beverages.
Meals and beverages which are lighter on the palate and have a cooling effect. If the burned area has not healed and is still sore after a week has passed, you should pay the doctor a visit.
In the case that the discomfort intensifies and the pain is severe, your doctor may prescribe and recommend using medications to ease the uneasiness, reduce the pain, and stimulate a quicker healing process.
Canker Sores
Canker sores, also known as ‘aphthous ulcers,’ (1) are small, round, sensitive lesions or masses that tend to develop in the soft tissues of your mouth. They generally develop on the inside of the cheek but may also form on the roof of your mouth as well.
They form due to a number of reasons, depending on the case; they may result due to problems related to the immune system of an individual. They are then triggered due to factors like hormonal changes, stress, anxiety or consuming certain unsuited foods.
Some individuals may get one to three canker sores in an occurrence, whereas, some others may develop ten or more canker sores at a time.
These canker sores may be painful and may hurt for about a week or two, but tend to heal after two weeks disappearing entirely.
Eating food may be difficult, so one can benefit by consuming soft or bland foods to avoid causing more pain and irritating the canker sores.
One must especially keep away from foods that may tend to worsen and intensify the pain and discomfort.
You may visit the doctor in case the pain is unbearable for you, to which your doctor may prescribe a pain-relieving and cooling gel to apply on the canker sores.
If the sores have failed to heal by themselves after two weeks have passed, then you must make sure to get them checked by your doctor or specialist.
Cold Sores
Sores on the roof of your mouth which tend to prolong and don’t disappear after some time, are more commonly known as cold sores. They are generally caused due to the herpes simplex virus and can be more commonly found on the lips.
But according to some doctors, they can also be found on the roof of your mouth or on the hard palate.
Cold sores are fluid-filled blisters that are painful but may tend to rupture and crust over later on as many less-painful lesions. They start to crust within four days of having formed and tend to entirely start the healing process within eight to ten days.
During the time that they are healing, one must avoid picking at them or touching them at all costs.
In the case that they do not start to heal by themselves after ten days, one must pay a visit to the doctor and get the required medication prescribed to start the healing process.
In some cases, these cold sores may form again after having healed once, so a long-term prescription may be required in such a case.
If you’ve recently gotten a dental treatment done, the toothache or an infection in your gums or tooth can put intense pressure on the soft tissues on the roof of your mouth. This sore in your tooth or gums can then spread from there to the roof of your mouth or the palate.
In such a case, you can visit your doctor or your dentist to get the proper required treatment to reduce the sore or the pain and lessen the discomfort.
Oral Cancer
In some cases, sores on the roof of your mouth may be harmless and may result because of minor problems and can be left alone to be healed by themselves or getting medication to heal it.
Whereas, some other cases may be a bit more serious in comparison to others. At times, sores on the roof of your mouth or the palate may be an indication or symptom of oral or mouth cancer.
If you have a sore on the roof of your mouth (2) which has failed to heal by itself within the time period of two weeks or the sore is white or red, you must visit your doctor without delay. So that the cause of the sore can be detected with a proper checkup and evaluation.
Oral/mouth cancer is only treatable if it is detected at an earlier stage, which is why it is extremely vital to bring such a case to the attention of your doctor. If your doctor suspects that the sore may be cancerous then you may be required to pay a second visit to an oral surgeon.
The oral surgeon will then perform a biopsy of the mouth tissue with a thorough oral/mouth evaluation. Then, if cancer is detected, the treatment can begin as soon as possible.
The treatment may require the cancerous sore to be surgically removed and then you may be required to undergo chemotherapy or radiation. This is to ensure that it does not further spread to other cells and affect them as well.
References
- The Treatment of Chronic Recurrent Oral Aphthous Ulcers
- Swelling on the Roof of Your Mouth: Causes and More
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