Stomatitis is the inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the mouth, which is caused by infection and is very painful. The disease is quite common both in adults and children. The developed ulcers contain many germs and these ulcers form on the gums and the mouth, particularly between the teeth. Simple ulcers in the mouth, however, come and go spontaneously.

Symptoms of Stomatitis are:

•There is severe pain in the mouth of the person suffering from stomatitis and he is unable to take his meals; this thus affects his food habits. He also feels pain and difficulty in talking.


•The patient may have excessive salivation, coated tongue, bright red mouth, irritability, vomiting after taking meals, reduced appetite and bad breath.


•The patient may also suffer from mild fever and constipation.

Causes of Stomatitis:
There are many causes of Stomatitis. The most important cause, which leads to this condition, is poor oral hygiene and nutritional deficiencies. Even the defective functioning of the stomach and indigestion are its main causes of stomatitis.

Treatment of Stomatitis through Nature Cure:
Diet:

•The bowels should be cleansed daily with a warm-water enema during this period. However, if the patient is a child, a glycerine suppository may be applied.


•The patient`s diet should only include orange juice or carrot juice and water, every two hours during the day for about 3 to 5 days.


•After the juice diet, the patient should adopt an exclusive diet of fresh fruits for further three to five days, whereby, his diet should be three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits, such as apple, grapes, grapefruit, orange, pear, pineapple, peach and papaya. Thereafter, the patient may gradually embark upon a well balanced diet consisting of seeds, nuts, grains, vegetables and fruits. The emphasis should be on fresh fruits, whole grain cereals, raw or lightly cooked vegetables and sprouted seeds, like alfalfa and moong beans.


•The patient should avoid meats, tea, coffee, white sugar, white flour and all products made from them. He should also avoid condiments, pickles, refined and processed foods, soft drink, candies and ice cream.

Home Remedies for Stomatitis:
Certain home remedies have also been found beneficial in the treatment of stomatitis. The most important of these is the use of lemon, use of alum and also the usage of mouthwash for different purposes. The remedies are as follows:


•Taking a tablespoon of lemon juice daily before meals will correct the functioning of the stomach and help cure the condition. The patient should also gargle several times daily with lemon juice mixed in water. This gargle can be prepared by mixing 20 ml of lemon juice in 100 ml. of hot water.


•A mouthwash containing a teaspoon each of salt and baking soda in a glass of warm water should be used every two to three hours to keep the mouth as clean as possible.


•The patient should gargle with alum diluted in hot water. Concentrated solution of alum may also be applied with the help of a swab on the ulcerated spots.


•Proper oral hygiene is of utmost importance in the treatment of stomatitis. The patient should carefully brush his teeth and gums so as to remove any foul material. He should also take multi-vitamin tables, especially those high in vitamin B complex.

Other helpful methods include taking a hot footbath twice daily. Before taking a hot footbath, a glass of cold water should be taken and the body should be covered with a blanket so as to ensure that no heat or vapour escapes from the footbath. Then, the patient should keep his legs in a tub or bucket filled with hot water at a temperature of 40 to 45C, where the duration of the bath is anywhere between 5 to 20 minutes. Later, the patient should take a cold shower bath immediately after the bath.