Home Teeth and mouthOral health Causes and treatment to remove a sore palate

Causes and treatment to remove a sore palate

by Alivia Nyhan
Published: Last Updated on

In general, any type of injury or condition that occurs in the mouth is uncomfortable and painful. If we take into account that because of it we eat, talk and drink, if there is an alteration in that area it can hinder the way in which we do it. The palate is no exception and its inflammation causes difficulties in eating normally, discomfort and pain.

As we always say, it is important to treat any alteration that occurs in our body, but in this particular case it is necessary to attend to it if the pain in the palate is very intense or frequent, since it could be an infection that needs treatment or a serious health problem. To do this, in the following FastlyHealarticle, we will explain how to remove pain in the palate and we will give you home remedies for an inflamed palate.

Swollen, irritated, or painful palate: causes

The palate is the structure located in the upper area of ​​the oral cavity, however, we can divide it into two different parts. On the one hand there is the hard palate , which occupies the first two thirds, starting from the teeth, and on the other we find the soft palate , located in the posterior area and reaching the uvula.

The palate is made up of salivary glands and mucous tissue that, beyond being essential for chewing and swallowing, fulfills a vital function at the phonetic and speech level. All these tissues that make up the palate, as well as those that make up the rest of the oral cavity, can suffer different traumas and diseases that lead to inflammation. When this happens we speak of stomatitis , and the causes of the inflamed palate that, later, generates pain or discomfort can be:

  • Canker sores : popularly known as sores. They are injuries that occur when the immune system is too low, which causes some of the upper layers of the oral mucosa to be lost, the skin to turn white and ulcerate. They are generally more common in children and young people than in adults, although they can also occur. In the following article, you can learn about its causes and home remedies for sores on the palate .
  • Irritation : it is the result of some direct attack on the palate. It can be caused by eating products that are too hot, very hard or very spicy foods, by wearing dental prostheses or by smoking.
  • Infection : different infections can lead to palate pain, although it is usually due to oral candidiasis or a herpes simplex infection.
  • Precancerous lesions : they are a type of lesion known as leukoplakia that, among other symptoms, cause pain and change in the color of the palate mucosa. It is very important to treat them immediately because they can end up developing into cancer.
  • Other diseases : pain in the palate can be caused by an underlying disease. These possible conditions include Crohn’s disease , lupus erythematosus, or the aftermath of radiation therapy and chemotherapy, as well as certain allergic reactions.

In summary, and adding other possible factors, the causes of inflammation of the palate can be:

  • Burns.
  • Vitamin B12 deficiency and low folic acid .
  • Smoking regularly.
  • Weakened immune system
  • Oral infections
  • Traumatic injuries
  • Hormonal alterations
  • Stress.
  • Precancerous and cancerous processes.

Treatment for inflammation of the palate

Stomatitis is generally treated symptomatically. That is, some of its most notable and annoying symptoms are treated and it is expected that the condition that is causing them will subside. However, it is not always possible or useful to do so, since if the inflammation is of infectious origin, it will be essential to treat it with drugs to end it.

As we have explained previously, infections can be of different types. Obviously, depending on what is causing the inflammation of the palate, one drug or another will be used. The options are:

  • Antibiotics
  • Antifungals
  • Antivirals

In these cases, it is essential to follow the indications and guidelines set by the doctor and never self-medicate. Otherwise, the infection could become strong, evolve and become immunized to these treatments, and could become chronic.

Swollen palate: home remedies for pain relief

Taking into account that the mouth and palate are necessary to be able to feed ourselves, something that we do daily and that is completely essential, home remedies for an irritated and inflamed palate will be more intended to minimize its symptoms so that it is not uncomfortable than to finish with that. On the other hand, the vast majority of the time it is a temporary condition, which heals on its own over the days, so no specific treatment is necessary. Next, we explain what you can do to remove pain in the palate :

Apply cold

As with the vast majority of inflammations, the application of cold is one of the best options that we have at our disposal. This will not only reduce the inflammation, but the area will be half numb and we will not be bothered so much by the pain in the palate. There are several methods to achieve this: from drinking ice water to getting rid of an ice cube in our mouth, to gargling with cold milk.

We especially recommend eating fruit stick ice creams, always avoiding citrus fruits, which will help you soothe the pain on your palate while enjoying its refreshing and delicious flavor.

Diet for a sore palate

Both your diet and eating habits are very important to cure pain in the palate. Depending on what you eat, you can improve or worsen inflammation, so it is necessary to be clear about what benefits you and what works against you:

  • It is advisable to follow a soft diet to avoid that any food can injure the palate.
  • Refrain from eating anything that is hot. This will only make the injury worse and increase the pain. It is preferable that you always eat cold dishes.
  • Do not eat acidic, crunchy or spicy products. The crunchy ones can injure your palate, while the others will increase the pain and inflammation of the area.

How to prevent inflammation of the palate

Zero risk does not exist, there can always be an uncontrollable cause that makes us suffer from stomatitis, however, we do have good lifestyle habits at hand to avoid that happening as much as possible:

  • Good oral hygiene.
  • Avoid the risks that we have just mentioned, such as tobacco, very hot food or products that are too acidic and spicy.
  • Visit the dentist regularly.

When to go to the doctor for pain in the palate

As we have already explained, it is necessary to go to the specialist in the event that the pain in the palate persists after 3 days. In addition, the following conditions are also reason enough to request a visit to the doctor:

  • If the pain is too severe.
  • If you have mouth ulcers or inflammation of the gums.
  • If you have a fever.
  • When the inflammation spreads to other areas of the mouth.
  • If the inflammation makes it difficult for you to swallow.
  • If these inflammations are very recurrent.

If in addition to the inflammation in the palate and pain, you notice the presence of any lump on the palate, also go to the doctor to find out what the exact cause is. In the following article, you can find out in detail about the possible causes of a lump on the palate .

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to remove palate pain , we recommend that you enter our Teeth and mouth category .

You may also like

Leave a Comment