Which type of doctor should I see?

snorepez

Last Thursday, I came down with a bad cold. I woke up on Friday with a high fever and with cuts all over inside of my mouth and lips, because (I'm assuming) I was stressed while sleeping and, uh, chewed? That's my only idea for the cuts. So, fast forward to today, and the cuts are still there, in full force. I have been using salt water at least 3 times a day, every day, but there are so many cuts that I cannot even eat most things. Plus, I can't brush my teeth properly - I'm considering brushing with my finger until my mouth is healed. Even drinking water irritates the cuts in my mouth.

So, should I see a general practitioner or a dentist? I just need some type of numbing agent, or....I don't know. I'm trying to avoid letting the cuts from becoming infected.

Morblitz

You may need to see both? I recently had some wisdom tooth infection fun, I couldn't open my mouth wide enough to eat solid foods because my jaw was so swollen and inflamed. I saw a doctor first - mainly for antibiotics, painkillers and anti inflammatories. She had a bit of a look to see how badly inflamed it was, and from her opinion I had to see a dentist after the medication did it's job lessening the infection which would me to open my damned mouth enough to figure out what the hell was going on with my teeth. It turns out I need to get 3 wisdom teeth removed.

If you have a fever and are having trouble eating etc, perhaps see a doctor. Get a script for antibiotics and pain medication and then see if the doctor thinks you require a dentist.

It also doesn't seem that your problem is directly related to teeth, just in the mouth. So perhaps again, see a doctor first, get their opinion/medication then proceed from there. Are you able to see both if need be, or is it one OR the other?

Hahnsoo1

You should definitely see a GP. There are over a hundred things it could possibly be. Are they actually bleeding microcuts (like paper cuts) inside your mouth? Or are they more like canker sores? Or can you not get a good look at them (which is often the case with mouth sores)?

Fever/flu-like symptoms followed by mouth sores is the hallmark of a lot of different viral infections, including several strains of Coxsackie, Herpes, and Enterovirus (not typically awful, but not fun to have either). A particularly tough strain of Hand/Foot/Mouth disease has been rolling around recently, and while it's more often seen in children than adults, that's a definite culprit.

But again, there's a hundred things that it could possibly be. See a doctor, who will have a better grasp of your overall medical history. A dentist will be fine, too, as they often see these kind of cases. Just see any healthcare professional.

snorepez

Morblitz, I am able to see either a GP or a dentist. But it sounds like you and Hahnsoo1 agree that I should see a GP, so I'll pay them a visit.

Hahnsoo1, the cuts on my lip are like canker sores, but the ones inside my cheeks and gums feel like microcuts. Could that mean that its one of the viral infections you listed?

Bendery It Like Beckham

Seconding a GP, sounds like a viral infection

Movitz

Did you recently meet someone new and? It sounds exactly like the primary infection of herpes simplex. Most of us get it while young from our parents and such and as a kid the symptoms are pretty weak. but if you get it when you're older the symptoms are exactly like what you describe. I friend of mine got that when we were like 23 maybe, and he could only eat yoghurt for a week. So yeah, go to GP and you probably have nothing to worry about.

snorepez

My GP diagnosed me with something called Oral Aphthae. She said it is basically an ulcer, which looks similar to oral herpes simplex 1.