April 8th, 2011, posted by Dental Health Magazine staff
Cold sores and fever blisters are absolutely annoying. Another word associated with them is unsightly. The cause of sores is herpes simplex virus.
At the beginning, they are red dots and in later stages, it begins to puff out. Now you start feeling tinge and itch. This is what cold sores and fever blisters are. When exposed to moisture through any medium, their size increases.
They generally appear if your mouth might have had contact with herpes virus in childhood. What happens after this is that the virus finds a host cell to move into. After this, the nerve that is attacked works as the virus tells it to. So you suffer from cold sores and fever blisters.
As the virus multiplies rapidly, cold sores and fever blisters replicate too. There is no specific part of your body that may be affected, so you can say that this virus can reach any part. The bottom-line is that this problem can be aggravating, irritating and shaming. You may think that popping them would be a good idea.
But think again. This is a dangerous idea and you can cause more infections to find way to you and worsening the situation. Instead, there are a few things that you can do to prevent cold sores and fever blisters and make them disappear.
Stay away from moisture or water. Keep yourself dry and clean. This is because cold sores and fever blisters love water and this will lead the bacteria to flourish, thereby increasing your problems. What you should do is wash the affected area and then thoroughly dry it using a soft cloth.
Get yourself a new toothbrush. Using old brush would increase chances of getting infected again. So, replacing the toothbrush would be a very good idea and is advised by doctors too. One more thing to note here is that the bristles of your old toothbrush also rub against the paste tube. So, replace that too. You can get a new, small tube or prevent direct contact of your brush with tube. However, to be safe, simply replace the tube.
Keep your brush outside bathroom as it is one place where moisture would be high. Furthermore, before and after you use the brush, make sure you wash and clean it. It will keep you at bay from the trouble of cold sores and fever blisters.
Use petroleum jelly to shield sore to avoid swelling. You can do this using cotton swab. Do not reuse the swab and dispose it off properly.
Lysine is said to help treating cold sores and fever blisters better. So, you can get supplements of lysine or add dairy products and potatoes to your diet. However, if you are nursing or pregnant, avoid this strictly. Additionally, you should avoid arginine-rich food items like chocolates, peanuts, sodas, beer, grains and cashew. The simple reason is that arginine is a catalyst for cold sores and fever blisters causing virus. So, maintain a good distance from such food items.
Cold sores and fever blisters are contagious. So do not get tempted to share your drinking glass with someone or kiss someone. Refrain from any such act for the time you are not treated properly, unless you deliberately want to pass this problem to someone! They also have a tendency to reappear after a certain time.
So, as you use these methods to lessen the swelling, it is still advised to consult doctor in order to find a permanent solution to uproot this problem completely. If you have a history of cold sores and fever blisters, then it is something you should do right away to prevent any further infection by herpes virus.
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