Brief Answer:
Looked at your picture.

Detailed Answer:

Hello,

In the picture you sent I see two lesions - the lower one is larger and appears whitish with some red/inflammation at the bottom of it; the other is smaller and appears to be red only.

The two most likely things that may be going on are:

1. Canker sores: These are breakdowns in the lining of the mouth and tend to happen more often when a person's immune system is lower or stressed, such as from a recent or current infection. They also happen sometimes with acidic food. They tend to be pretty painful. A canker looks like an ulcer - there is a crater, usually with redness around it. These usually go away on their own but if painful, "magic mouthwash" can be used to help the pain (it contains liquid Benadryl, Maalox, and viscous lidocaine).

2. Yeast/oral candidiasis: These are white patches in the mouth from yeast overgrowth that can happen when a person has been on an antibiotic or inhaled corticosteroids for asthma. These are not craters like canker sores but instead, are white patches. It's hard for me to tell from the picture if it is a crater or a patch. Oral candida (also known as oral thrush) is treated with an anti-yeast medicine such as Nystatin liquid which you swish in your mouth. And avoidance of things that compromise the immune system or create an environment that yeast like such as alcohol, sugars, and simple carbohydrates.

Hope I have answered your query.

Regards,
Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician

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