A three-year-old girl was left unable to eat or smile for a week and was in extreme pain from an issue millions have experienced.
Little Amelia suffered from excruciating mouth ulcers on her tongue, cheeks and the corners of her lips, leaving her crying for hours and unable to sleep.
At first mum-of-three Elizabeth, from Melbourne, didn’t know what was wrong and was distraught, then realised her daughter’s mouth was red and enflamed with ulcers.
The 39-year-old told FEMAIL the ulcers tend to pop up before Amelia, now six, gets sick or rundown. But when she was a toddler she couldn’t explain what was wrong.
At one point Amelia had three mouth ulcers and could only tolerate eating jam sandwiches.
‘She was really miserable, emotional and grumpy. She wouldn’t eat – she’d rather not,’ Elizabeth said.
Amelia especially didn’t tolerate anything, acidic such as oranges and apples, nothing salty, such as chips or nuggets – despite how much she loves these foods.
It wasn’t until Elizabeth reached out to her mother’s group that she was recommended a convenience solution to ease the pain.
Little Amelia suffered from excruciating mouth ulcers on her tongue, cheeks and the corners of her lips when she was three, leaving her crying for hours and unable to sleep
At first mum-of-three Elizabeth, from Melbourne , didn’t know what was wrong and was distraught, then realised her daughter’s mouth was red and enflamed with ulcers
Both a pharmacist and a dentist suggested UlcerEze – a Band-Aid-like patch that reacts with saliva in the mouth and protects the ulcer while it heals.
‘I had never heard of it before but thought it’s worth a shot. It’s not very nice seeing your little girl crying and in tears so much,’ Elizabeth said.
Prior she tried easing Amelia’s pain by offering her cold water and pain killers, but nothing worked.
The patches form a protective barrier over the mouth ulcer, shielding it from further irritation and allowing it to heal naturally.
At one point Amelia had three mouth ulcers and could only tolerate eating jam sandwiches. ‘She was really miserable, emotional and grumpy. She wouldn’t eat – she’d rather not,’ Elizabeth said
One in five Australians are prone to getting mouth ulcers often brought on by a weakened immune system.
Other contributing factors include vitamin deficiencies, hormonal fluctuations, infections, smoking cessation, genetic factors, and more.
Usually mouth ulcers and sores heal after a week without any treatment, according to Health Direct.
It’s recommended not to touch the area, use a soft toothbrush when brushing your teeth, eating soft foods, avoiding certain foods (such anything spicy or acidic) and rinsing your mouth with salt water.
If needed, numbing mouth gel applied to the area which can be obtained from a GP or pharmacist.
To prevent getting a mouth ulcer you should maintain a healthy diet, reduce stress levels, avoid foods that trigger ulcers and avoid toothpaste with sodium lauryl sulphate.
It wasn’t until Elizabeth reached out to her mother’s group that she was recommended a convenience solution to ease the pain
Pharmacists Abdul Azzam and Nael Karim invented UlcerEze with the aim to help patients.
CEO Omar Sukkar was inspired to create a product to help his younger sister who suffered from recurrent, debilitating mouth ulcers due to an autoimmune condition.
‘She was in so much pain. I was mentioning this to Abdul and Nael and asking for alternative treatments when they told how dyer the problem was in Australia,’ he said.
‘With their knowledge, and my determination to help my sister, we unpacked what needed to be done to attack why mouth ulcers were not healing quickly.
‘Through trial and error, we created the UlcerEze patch, which proved effective in clinical trials. Its all-natural formula meant it didn’t interact with medications, while the patch format ensured ease of use, pain reduction, and improved healing.’
