If you’ve ever had a mouth ulcer, you’ll know how much a tiny sore can take over your day. These small, painful patches that suddenly appear inside your mouth make eating, drinking and even talking surprisingly uncomfortable.

The good news is that most heal on their own within a week or two. But understanding why they appear and what you can do to prevent them can make a big difference.

Mouth ulcers are incredibly common. Up to a quarter of the population will experience them at some point in their lives, and they’re especially frequent in teenagers and young adults. Some people get one or two a year; others find they pop up every month. They’re not contagious and they’re usually harmless, but they can still be miserable.

So why do they happen? In many cases, it’s something simple. Trauma to the area – from accidentally biting your cheek, scraping your gums with a toothbrush, or irritation from braces or dentures – can trigger an ulcer. Certain foods, especially spicy, salty or acidic ones, can also irritate the lining of your mouth. Stress, tiredness and hormonal changes play a role too, and some people notice ulcers appear around their monthly period or during times of pressure at work or home.

Sometimes the cause is less obvious. Ulcers may be linked to low levels of iron, zinc, folate, B vitamins or vitamin D, or to underlying conditions such as coeliac disease, Crohn’s disease or a suppressed immune system. If a deficiency seems likely, it’s worth asking your GP for a blood test so that you can get the correct supplements.

Medications, including some anti-inflammatories, heart medicines like beta blockers, and lung medicines like bronchodilators, can also trigger them. And for a few people, recurrent ulcers are simply part of their genetic makeup as they tend to run in families.

People who stop smoking often notice mouth ulcers appearing in the first couple of weeks. They are a withdrawal effect, and around two in five quitters develop them. They’re usually mild and settle within a month.

If you’re unlucky enough to get ulcers regularly, you might be dealing with recurrent aphthous stomatitis, a pattern of repeated ulcers. These ulcers can be tiny and short lived, or larger and more severe, lasting several weeks. They’re thought to involve an overactive immune response in the mouth, which makes the lining more vulnerable to everyday triggers.

How to get rid of them

While there’s no instant cure and most ulcers clear up on their own within a week or two, there are several ways to ease the pain and help them heal faster. Rinsing with warm saltwater can soothe discomfort and reduce inflammation.

Over-the-counter topical treatments can help ease the pain of mouth ulcers and sometimes shorten how long they last. Local anaesthetic gels and sprays, such as lidocaine and benzocaine, numb the area for a short period, making eating and drinking more comfortable.

Antiseptic and anti-inflammatory mouthwashes, including chlorhexidine and benzydamine, can also help reduce discomfort and may slightly shorten healing time. For more stubborn or painful ulcers, you can buy steroid tablets that dissolve in the mouth. Doctors or dentists can prescribe steroid sprays or stronger mouthwashes to reduce pain, swelling and speed up healing.

If you keep getting ulcers, it’s worth looking at your toothpaste. Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), a foaming agent found in many brands, has been linked to mouth ulcers in some people. Switching to an SLS-free toothpaste may help reduce the pain and healing period of ulcers.

Eating softer foods, drinking cool liquids through a straw and avoiding spicy or acidic meals, or rough, crunchy foods like crisps can also make life more comfortable while an ulcer heals.

Prevention is often easier than treatment. Using a soft-bristled toothbrush, keeping up with regular dental check ups and eating a balanced diet can all help protect the lining of your mouth. Managing stress and getting enough sleep may reduce how often ulcers appear. And if you suspect certain foods trigger your ulcers – chocolate, coffee, nuts and tomatoes are common culprits – keeping a diary can help you spot patterns.

If your mouth ulcer lasts longer than three weeks, keeps coming back, or looks unusual, it’s important to get it checked. A persistent ulcer can occasionally be a sign of an underlying condition, including mouth cancer, so don’t ignore anything that feels out of the ordinary.

Mouth ulcers may be small, but they can have a big impact. The reassuring news is that simple changes, from switching toothpaste to managing stress, can make them far less frequent. And next time one appears, you’ll know exactly what’s going on and how to help it heal.

Serious disorder at a balloon release for one of the young men who died in the A66 car crash is “unacceptable”, an MP has said.

Durham Police said a large crowd gathered on a privately owned field near Haswell, County Durham, on Thursday evening where five vehicles were set on fire and balloons, flares, and fireworks were released.

Redcar MP Anna Turley said it put lives at risk, while Assistant Chief Constable Jon McAdam said the force condemned “anyone who would use that tragedy as an excuse for disorder”.

In an update on Friday afternoon, Cleveland Police ACC Dave Sutherland said the force was not currently linking the A66 crash to a house fire which killed a woman and a seven-year-old girl.

It had previously said it could not rule out a link to organised crime in relation to the house fire and the crash.

Turley said the police force had been “at pains to say we shouldn’t think that these are all connected, and we shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions”.

The BBC understands the King has written to the families of two officers killed in the crash to express his deepest sympathies for their loss.

Meanwhile Middlesbrough FC said it would ask supporters to pay their respects to the officers before Saturday’s fixture against West Bromwich Albion.

“We are also showing our appreciation for the dedication and hard work of both men, and to Cleveland police force in protecting and supporting our local community,” the club said in a statement.

Seven people, including PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, died in the crash near Middlesbrough on Saturday. Two people were arrested on suspicion of murder following the house fire in Grangetown on Wednesday.

With regards to Thursday night’s disorder, Labour Home Office minister Turley said it “put lives at risk” and left residents “frightened and angry in their own communities”.

She added: “People have a right to grieve and to pay their respects – but people also have a right to feel safe in their own homes and neighbourhoods.”

They will be carrying out a special flypast at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital at 5.15pm, subject to weather and other factors.

The elite flying team will be travelling through the area on the way back to their base at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust announced the flyby on Facebook, describing the event as a “real treat”.

The trust said: “We’re delighted that they’ve chosen to support us and help create a memorable moment for all the children receiving care with us in hospital, their families, and the dedicated staff who support them every day.

“Come and join us at the Children’s Hospital Garden on the Boulevard to see this spectacular sight.”

An exact flight path and timings have not been confirmed, but plane enthusiasts online have speculated that the route will take them through other parts of Greater Manchester, including Westhoughton, Altrincham, and Greenfield in Saddleworth.

The Red Arrows will be travelling from the annual Southport Air Show, which they are taking part in on Saturday and Sunday.

Described as one of the “world’s premier aerobatic display teams”, the Red Arrows act as “ambassadors for the Royal Air Force, helping to promote the force at home and abroad.

Flying Hawk fast-jets, the team is made up of pilots and engineers with frontline and operational experience in the RAF.

The Red Arrows have been contacted for comment.

Officers said four men, aged 35, 25, 40 and 21, were being held on suspicion of criminal damage with intent to endanger life after a vehicle crashed into a house in Steele Crescent, in South Bank in the early hours of Thursday (August 27).

They were also being questioned over alleged arson after a caravan was set alight in Atlee Road on Wednesday morning, and a drugs offence.

A wall stands demolished at a property on Steele Crescent, in South Bank, Middlesbrough, this morning following an overnight garden wall ramming just a stone’s throw from the devastating blaze in which killed two (Image: SUPPLIED)

The force said the men were in a vehicle when they were stopped by police on Kingsley Road in Grangetown on Thursday night.

A quantity of class A drugs has been seized, officers confirmed.

Police officers at the scene of a fatal crash involving a police car and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 in South Bank, near Middlesbrough (Owen Humphreys/PA) (Image: SUPPLIED)

The three other men arrested were a 23-year-old man, on suspicion of threats to kill, a 42-year-old on suspicion of threats to kill and possession of criminal property, and a 30-year-old on suspicion of possession of criminal property.

All three have been released on conditional bail.

Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

It brings the total number of people arrested since the crash to 24.

Earlier on Friday, detectives confirmed they are not linking a house fire which killed a seven-year-old girl and her aunt to the A66 crash which killed seven people, including two police officers.

Hundreds of extra police officers have been drafted in to support officers after a series of recent incidents in the Middlesbrough and County Durham area – starting with the head-on crash that killed PCs Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38, and five young men.

It is the second home linked to one of the men killed in the crash to have been hit shortly before.

According to The Sun, a silver Audi was shunted into the front of a three-storey home belonging to Theo Rae’s mum.

Pictures show the badly damaged convertible still parked outside the home almost a week later, with a blue tarpaulin covering damage to the front of the building.

The home of the mum of A66 crash victim Theo Rae was reportedly rammed in the early hours of Saturday in the lead up to the fatal crash, The Sun has reported. (Image: STUART BOULTON)

Rae, 17, was killed in the crash which claimed the lives of seven people, including two Cleveland Police officers, PC Matthew Blades and Tom Clough.

A property belonging to the dad of fellow crash victim Cole Worthy, 17, was also targeted on Ruskin Avenue in Acklam in the moments leading up to the deadly crash.

A house in Ruskin Avenue, Middlesbrough, after being rammed by a car, which deliberately reversed into the front window, causing extensive damage. (Image: OWEN HUMPHRIES/ PA WIRE)

A source told The Sun: “Cole’s dad’s home was rammed first, but it was empty at the time. No one gave a s*** about it.

“There was a large police presence at the property but by then Theo and the others were already in the Passat looking for the gang responsible.

“This is the reason it all exploded.”

Andy McDonald, MP for Middlesbrough, previously said a gangs and the drug trade were “clearly featuring” in a spate of violence on Teesside in recent days.

From left to right: Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Michael Robert Cahill, 23. (Image: SOCIAL MEDIA)

Rae was travelling in a VW Passat with Cole Worthy, Michael Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18, when they were spotted by marked police cars.

Police pursued the vehicle for seven minutes before the Passat went the wrong way up the A66.

Scene of the crash on the A66 (Image: NORTH NEWS)

The pursuit was abandoned before the Passat collided head-on with an armed response vehicle not previously involved in the chase.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, died at the scene.

Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

More than 200 specialist officers have been drafted in to help restore order.

The home of the mum of A66 crash victim Theo Rae was reportedly rammed in the early hours of Saturday in the lead up to the fatal crash, The Sun has reported. (Image: STUART BOULTON)

Valentina Foster, seven, and Natalie McDonald, 34, have been named locally as the two victims who died following a house fire in Grangetown. (Image: Provided)

The community remains shaken after a house fire claimed the two lives of seven-year-old Valentina Foster and 34-year-old Natalie McDonald on Birchington Avenue in Grangetown.

Police previously said they could not rule out a link between the blaze, being treated as murder, and incidents surrounding the crash. On Friday (August 28) police said they were not believed to be linked.

Other incidents include an attack with a bladed weapon in Eston, another in Thornaby – both of which saw armed police attend, as well as another wall smashed into on Steele Crescent in Grangetown.

Police were called to Trump Turnberry following the vandalism in the early hours of March 8, 2025.

Seven people charged with damaging property at the Trump Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire have been accused of doing so with a “terrorist connection”. Graffiti was sprayed on US President Donald Trump‘s hotel and golf resort in March last year, while damage was also caused to the greens.

The words “Gaza is not for sale” were painted on the lawn during the incident, with red paint also sprayed on the clubhouse. Police were called to the Trump Turnberry course on Maidens Road, Turnberry, South Ayrshire, at about 4.40am on March 8, 2025.

The seven people had been due to appear at the High Court in Glasgow for a preliminary hearing on Monday. But this has now been moved to October following an order granted by the court.

Kieran Robson, 35, Uzma Bashir, 56, Ricky Southall, 34, Autumn Taylor Ward, 22, Rebecca Sian Davies, 29, John Moxley, 58, and Dylan Chiaramello, 24, have all been charged in relation to the incident. A copy of the indictment, seen by the Press Association, says the defendants “did maliciously damage property” at the site.

It accuses them of digging up turf at the golf courses, spraying glyphosate (weed killers) on the fairways and greens, and spraying a building and signpost with paint. The indictment says they did “paint political and offensive slogans on the grass, score a political slogan into the turf, paint political and offensive slogans on a building, walls and pillars, damage a sprinkler system causing flooding, and damage a light”.

It then says that it will be proved that the offence “was aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection”. Three members of the group – Robson, Bashir and Davies – are also accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by driving to and from Trump Turnberry in vehicles with false registration numbers.

The Crown Office have said they will not comment on a live case.

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NUWAKOT, Nepal (AP) — Aid began to reach some survivors in Nepal on Friday following the catastrophic flash floods that swept through the mountainous border region between Nepal and China, as the full scope of the devastation continued to emerge and survivors sought shelter at makeshift army relief centers.

Children who have been separated from their families are being given shelter as attempts are made to reunite them with families.

The U.N.’s agency for children said at least 17,000 children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, while 18 schools have been destroyed and another 20 damaged.

The International Red Cross estimates that at least 93,000 people have been affected and are in “great need.”

Rescuers worked through mud and debris on Friday in areas devastated by a catastrophic flash flood along the mountainous border between Nepal and China.

In Nuwakot, one of the flood areas closest to Kathmandu, entire villages were swept away in a matter of minutes. What remains is covered in sediment and thick mud. Broken pieces of a golden temple were seen jutting out from the sand, while the carcass of a dead buffalo lay on the ground.

With their homes destroyed, survivors have gathered at roadside tea shops.

The Associated Press visited a school in Nuwakot that is being used as a temporary aid distribution center, where nongovernmental organizations distributed solar panels, clothes and basic hygienic goods.

“What I’ve been given today is worth more than a million,” said Kanchi Nepali. “I have no food, no shelter, no utensils to cook with. Only my body survived.”

Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said on Friday that the number of missing people has doubled to just under 2,000.

The authority said 14,829 security personnel have been mobilized for search and rescue operations, which includes using drones to search for survivors in areas dangerous to access.

Those rescued from the area are taken to Maithali Barrack, a military training center in Nuwakot that has been turned into relief camp and shelter. Helicopters come and go with people and supplies. Community members surround the barbed wire perimeter of the center, waiting to see if their loved ones will arrive in the next helicopter.

An army medic, who was not authorized to speak to the media, told The Associated Press that those who have received medical care have included local community members, foreign tourists and Chinese workers rescued from the flood zone. In cases that are considered to be too severe — such as when a pregnant woman at the center began experiencing labor pains — those individuals are airlifted to a nearby hospital.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Six people have been injured by a falling sign at a Christian festival in West Sussex.

Emergency services were called to reports of multiple people in need of medical attention at Big Church Festival, near Steyning, shortly after 15:30 BST on Friday.

Ambulance crews, critical care paramedics and specialist response teams are at the scene, according to South East Coast Ambulance Service.

Organisers said that Friday’s show had been cancelled due to a “serious incident”.

“All day visitors must leave the site now,” organisers wrote on social media.

“If you are camping with us, please return to your campsite and await further updates.”

Crafted from smooth, supple full-grain cowhide leather, Longchamp’s Le Cadence boasts a spacious – and laptop-friendly – interior, with a wide adjustable strap for comfortable carrying.

The relaxed silhouette lends it to office days, with five classic colourways available: Alexa’s black, tan, vanilla, brown and burgundy. While Alexa opted for the capacious Le Cadence L, the smaller Le Cadence S (£415, Longchamp.com) crossbody is a more compact choice for weekend wear.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a fatal crash that took place on York Road, approaching Sutton-on-the-Forest, earlier this month.

It happened at approximately 3.15pm on August 12 and involved a red Vauxhall Astra and a silver Audi.

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The road was closed for several hours whilst police investigated the scene and recovered the cars.

“Sadly, following a period of time in hospital for treatment to minor injuries, the driver of the red Astra, a man in his 70s, has passed away,” said a spokesperson for the force.

They added that the driver of the Audi has assisted officers with their enquiries.

If you have any information that could assist the investigation including any footage or if you witnessed the incident, please contact TC 1142 UPTON on Alyssa.Upton@northyorkshire.police.uk, use the website or live chat, or call 101.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online via their website.

Please quote reference 12260156472 when providing information.