How To Cure Canker Sores

Canker sores are a painful and annoying condition that most people have at one time or another. These are the sores on the inside lining of your mouth which persists for days or even weeks. When your mouth is sore, eating and drinking becomes more of pain than a pleasure.

Here are some common remedies for canker sores. Remember that a canker sore which persists more than a week might be the symptom of a larger condition. If you have canker sores several times a year, this might be the sign of a condition. Also, if canker sores reoccur several times in the same spot of the mouth, you should consult a doctor.

1. Do not rub your tongue against the sore.

This is a standard response when a canker sore is hurting, but it only aggravates the condition. It's akin to scratching a blister on your skin.

2. To relieve pain, try a non-prescription orally taken anaesthetic.

There are plenty of these in most grocery stores. This topical anaesthetic numbs the pain locally, though it doesn't help heal the sore. At most, it keep you from irritating the sore by running your tongue against the sore. If you don't remember to pick up something at the store, use crushed ice as a replacement. Remember not to crunch your ice, though.

3. Rinse with mouthwash several times a day.

This helps remove any acidic residue left over from eating or drinking. Acid of any kind tends to aggravate a canker sore. Also, this kills many of the germs around your sore and might kills those causing the infection.

Some mouthwashes might aggravate your sore. Watch for any mouthwash using sodium laurel sulfate, as this might make the condition worse.

4. Brush your teeth after mouth washing.

Once again, this removes the acids and food particles which might irritate your sore. Read the label of your toothpaste and avoid any which uses sodium laurel sulfate.

5. Use a toothbrush labeled "soft" for the duration of the time you have the sore.

This will avoid irritating the sore with the bristles of your toothbrush.

6. If the mouthwash trick does not work, wash your mouth with salt water.

Put five parts water to one part salt. This does much the same as mouthwash. The major difference is that it doesn't have chemicals which might irritate the lining of your mouth. On the bad side, saltwater is bad tasting.

7. Beware if a canker sore is persistent.

This is an indication that the something is either continually irritating the skin, or the skin is damaged due to some other condition. If a canker sore persists for more than one to two weeks, you should consider visiting your doctor. If the sore persists for two weeks, certainly visit the doctor.

8. When you have a canker sore, avoid eating spicy or acidic foods.

Soft drinks can be a problem, too, because of the high acid content in them. Acid tends to irritate the sore.

9. One less serious cause of canker sores are allergies.

If you have cankers more than a few times a year, or you continually get a canker sore in one spot, try to figure out if something is causing this allergy.

Several summers ago, I began to have canker sores almost continually. I eventually figured out the problem was all of the lemonade I was drinking. It turns out that I am allergic to citric acid. Every time I drank the lemonade, my mouth would slightly swell or break out. If I drank too much lemonade, I would get a canker sore.

I stopped drinking lemonade and orange juice, which greatly reduced my canker sore problems. I later learned this was a common allergic reaction in people. So if you have cankers, look out for similar food or drink that might be causing the problem.