A three-year-old girl was unable to eat or smile for a week and was in extreme pain due to a problem familiar to millions of other people.
Little Amelia suffered from terrible mouth ulcers on her tongue, cheeks and the corners of her lips, which caused her to cry for hours and not be able to sleep.
Elizabeth, a mother of three from Melbourne, was initially unsure of what was happening and was distressed until she realised her daughter’s mouth was red and sore.
The 39-year-old told FEMAIL that the ulcers usually appear before Amelia, now six, becomes ill or exhausted, but as a toddler she couldn’t explain what was wrong.
At some point, Amelia had three ulcers in her mouth and could only eat jam sandwiches.
“She was really unhappy, emotional and grumpy. She didn’t want to eat – she preferred not to,” Elizabeth said.
Amelia in particular could not tolerate anything sour like oranges and apples and anything salty like chips or nuggets – even though she loves these foods very much.
It was only when Elizabeth turned to the mothers’ group that she was recommended a practical solution to relieve her pain.
At the age of three, little Amelia suffered from painful ulcers on her tongue, cheeks and the corners of her mouth, which caused her to cry for hours and not be able to sleep.
Elizabeth, a mother of three from Melbourne, initially did not know what was going on and was desperate until she noticed that her daughter’s mouth was red and inflamed with ulcers
Both a pharmacist and a dentist recommended UlcerEze – a plaster-like patch that reacts with saliva in the mouth and protects the ulcer while it heals.
“I had never heard of it, but I thought it would be worth a try. It’s not very nice to see your little daughter crying and crying like that,” Elizabeth said.
She had previously tried to relieve Amelia’s pain with cold water and painkillers, but nothing helped.
The patches form a protective barrier over the mouth ulcer, protecting it from further irritation and allowing natural healing.
At one point, Amelia had three ulcers in her mouth and could only eat jam sandwiches. “She was really unhappy, emotional and grumpy. She didn’t want to eat – she preferred not to,” Elizabeth said.
One in five Australians is susceptible to mouth ulcers, which are often caused by a weakened immune system.
Other contributing factors include vitamin deficiencies, hormone fluctuations, infections, smoking cessation, genetic factors and more.
According to Health Direct, mouth ulcers and sores usually heal after a week without treatment.
It is recommended not to touch the area, use a soft toothbrush when brushing your teeth, eat soft foods, avoid certain foods (such as spicy or acidic ones) and rinse your mouth with salt water.
If necessary, an anesthetic mouth gel can be applied to the affected area. This is available from your family doctor or pharmacist.
To prevent mouth ulcers, eat a healthy diet, reduce stress, avoid foods that cause ulcers, and avoid toothpaste containing sodium lauryl sulfate.
It was only when Elizabeth turned to her mother’s support group that she was recommended a practical solution to relieve her pain.
Pharmacists Abdul Azzam and Nael Karim invented UlcerEze with the aim of helping patients.
CEO Omar Sukkar was inspired to develop a product to help his younger sister, who suffered from recurring, debilitating mouth ulcers due to an autoimmune disease.
“She was in so much pain. I told Abdul and Nael about it and asked about alternative treatment options when they told me how much worse the problem was in Australia,” he said.
“With her knowledge and my determination to help my sister, we figured out what needed to be done to address the problem of the canker sores not healing quickly.
“Through trial and error, we developed the UlcerEze patch, which was proven effective in clinical trials. Its all-natural formula meant there were no drug interactions, while the patch format ensured ease of use, pain relief and improved healing.”
