Are you feeling completely confused about what’s happening with your oral health? If you are experiencing mouth sores, you may not have the faintest idea whether what you’re seeing is a canker sore or a cold sore. After all, both begin with the letter “c” and show up in the general vicinity of your mouth – and there are so many nicknames for oral sores that it’s hard to keep up. Rest easy! Distinguishing one from the other is actually quite simple.

If Your Sore Is On Your Lips

Canker sores don’t develop on your lips – but cold sores do. As a result, if the sore is within your mouth and on soft tissue, it’s likely a canker sore (or, at least you can rule out a cold sore). You may wish to contact us to schedule a visit if you are not certain about the type of sore in your mouth, so we may diagnose the concern and send you home (or offer necessary treatment).

If Your Sore Tingles First (But Wait – There’s More)

Actually, both types of sores might tingle before they appear. If you’ve heard that only cold sores do this, it’s not accurate information. While the tingle let’s you know something’s on its way, again, paying attention to the eruption site is what will help. To review: On the soft tissue within your mouth: Canker. On your lips: Cold sore. Another helpful detail? Cankers are shallow ulcers, while cold sores are blisters (which ooze).

If You Think You Got It From Someone

Canker sores are not contagious, so if you recently kissed someone with a sore – and now you have a very similar looking one – it’s probably oral herpes (also called a cold sore or fever blister).