Small white, grey or yellow sores can occur singly or in clusters anywhere in the mouth, inkling inside the cheeks and on the tongue. Often very painful, mouth ulcers affect about 20 percent of the population at any one time. They are more likely to appear in people who have a poor diet or an underlying infection, or are under a lot of stress.

The causes of common mouth ulcers, which are known as aphthous ulcers, include a vitamin deficiency, digestive upset, food sensitivity, infection, injury (such as biting the tongue or cheek) and poorly fitting dentures. They are more likely if you are exhausted or under stress. Occasionally ulcers are a sign of an underlying condition, such as tuberculosis, herpes simplex infection, celiac disease (intolerance of gluten, a cereal protein), Crohn’s disease, anemia or leukemia.

Eat a healthy diet in order to prevent mouth ulcers. Boost your resistance to infection by eating garlic, onions, foods rich in vitamin C ad flavonoids (fruits and vegetables), and those containing zinc (nuts, seeds, root vegetables, shellfish), and by limiting your intake of refined carbohydrates. You can soothe your mouth ulcers with a once or twice daily mouthwash or gargle of cold tea for its astringent effect. You can even gargle with sage tea for its antiseptic, healing and astringent properties.

Aromatherapy provides many cures for mouth ulcers. Antiseptic essential oils, such as geranium, lavender, lemon, myrrh and tea tree, work well on ulcers caused by viral or bacterial infection. Avoid myrrh oil if you are in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. Mix five drops of tea tree oil, three of lemon oil, and two of myrrh oil with two and a half teaspoons of grape seed oil. Apply to the ulcers with your fingers every two hours.

Add one drop each of tea tree, lemon and myrrh oils to half glass of water. Use as a mouthwash three to four times a day. Ass a few drops of tea tree, geranium, or lavender oil to a cup of warm water and use as a mouthwash three times a day. You can try applying tea tree or lavender oil undiluted, but it might cause stinging.