canker sore

[lovegem]

I am suffering from canker sore. Second one this month. I would love to hear what you use for a cure. I usually use Canker Patch and it works great. but my new canker sore is at a hard to patch location this time. I can''t eat my food properly.. help!

 

[Haven]

I take L-Lysine when I feel one coming on. Works every time.
And I avoid peanut butter because it gives me canker sores.

 

[DiamanteBlu]

This is a trick my old dentist told us about many years ago. [If you have one] take a capsule of tetracyclene and open it up. Dampen a finger, dip it in the tetracyclene powder and rub the powder on the sore. It stings like crazy, tastes like crap but the cancer sore will be gone the next day.

Hope this helps!

 

[Patiently_Waiting]

Date: 8/31/2009 8:30:10 PM
Author: Haven
I take L-Lysine when I feel one coming on. Works every time.
And I avoid peanut butter because it gives me canker sores.

I second the Lysine. I have had canker sores since I''ve been little and the Lysine does the trick every time. I now try to take it regularly as a preventative measure and it does a great job of it. Good luck!

 

[vip0802]

oooo, i''m sorry lovegem! canker sores are awful to get. i used to get them all the time as a kid, and i clearly remember once having 6 of them at the same time.

coincidentally, i had a dentist appt during that time but he never told me about tetracyclene powder! he just said that there wasn''t really anything that was going to make it heal faster, and just told me to use some Anbesol.

anyway, i hope it gets better soon and thanks for the info Haven and DB!

 

[AprilBaby]

Canker sores are technically viral so tetracycline shouldn''t do a thing...however...if it works, it works! Anbesol helps the pain, but they take 7-14 days to heal. Avoid spicy and tomato foods. Some dentists will prescribe decadron elixir to rub on and this helps. If you get frequent sores, switch to Rembrandt toothpaste as it has something in it that kills the virus.

 

[kenny]

Most things people do ease the symptoms.
This will do that but also make the sore go away very fast.

I have found the perfect miracle drug for this and I'm so happy to be able to share it with others.
I have gotten these painful sores all my life, both on the lips an inside the mouth.
I used to suffer terribly because these sores last a week or two.

20 years ago I was at my dentist and told him I had a sore.
He put something on it and gave me some to take home and told me how to properly apply it.
Now I am never without this.
Once you open the tube it remains viable for only about 6 months so I end up throwing most of it away and getting a refill.
It is a prescription drug but not expensive.

The brand name is Kenalog in orabase.
The generic is called Triamcinolone Acetonide Dental Paste USP 0.1%.

It is a gel-like substance that coats and sticks directly to the sore.
You apply it 3 times a day after meals.
Application is kind of a hassle but the relief is soooo worth it!

First you must gently touch the sore with a clean Q-Tip or tissue.
This removes any film and saliva which allows the medicine to get directly to the sore.

After washing hands put a tiny dab on your fingertip.
Apply to sore by dabbing without rubbing.
If you rub it on it becomes grainy and will not stick to the sore.

Dry it (this seals the surface and keeps it in place) by sucking in air or blowing on it with a hair dryer with the heat turned off.
Immediately rinse area with water.

If it applied to one lip, apply lip balm to the other lip so the lips touching does not pull the medicine off.
Being a man I have no idea if you can apply lipstick over it.

It may seem like a hassle but I'm telling you this is a miracle cure for cold sores/canker sores.
The pain goes down 95% and the sore is gone in one or two days.

Don't kiss others or share cups when you have a sore.
The cause of these sores is a highly contagious virus.
Most of us acquire this virus as children from parents or grandparents who didn't know any better.
The virus lives in the nerve endings of your mouth for the rest of your life and cause sores when aggravated by stress or sunlight or certain foods.

 

[jstarfireb]

I don't normally recommend complementary/alternative therapies, being someone in the medical field who likes her meds to stand up to scientific scrutiny. However, I swear by "watermelon frost," a Chinese powder that I guess is made from watermelon. My husband gave me it when I had a canker sore once...you spray a bit of the powder directly onto the sore, and it stings for a few seconds and tastes kinda icky, but then it coats it for hours and makes me feel better. And I can't be sure, but I think they actually heal a little faster. Who knows...it may all be a placebo effect, but it was free for me and I think it works.

ETA: Also, I think some people may be confusing cold sores and canker sores. Canker sores (also called "aphthous ulcers") are usually single in number, usually on the inside part of the lips across from the gums, and the cause is unknown. They may be viral, bacterial, or autoimmune. Cold sores are usually on the outside of the lips (but can be inside the mouth as well, usually on hard surfaces like the hard palate or gums). They are usually small and grouped together, and they are caused by the herpes simplex virus. Cold sores are extremely contagious and canker sores are not. Both are recurrent, but they are two different diseases.

 

[October2008bride]

I just swish hot salt water. The water should be as hot as you can handle (like as hot as water out of the tap can get). Swish until the water in your mouth gets cool, spit, and repeat until the glass is gone.

 

[parrot tulips]

While hubby and I were at the drug store a few weeks ago, we decided to ask the pharmacist what he recommended for canker sores. He suggested mixing equal parts liquid Benedryl and Maalox (we bought generic) and rinsing for 30 seconds. Hubby tried it and said that the mixture helped numb the cankers a little bit, and it seemed to heal a lot faster than leaving it untreated.

 

[bebe]

I get one every few years. I always applied a paste of Allum (sp) ( spice dept. at the grocery store) and water to the sore. It will sting like heck,
but if I do this several times a day, the sore will heal very quickly

 

[D&T]

salt straight on the canker sore... yep hurts like no other, but I really feel it heals much faster than when I don''t use it.

 

[kenny]

I will add that the Rx medicine I mentioned above works regardless of where the sore is located, on the lips, inside the mouth on the inner surface of the cheeks or lips, or on the gums.

Note: I also have an unfortunate tendency to bite the inside of my cheek when chewing, occasionally even drawing a little blood.
This results in a small cut or lesion that can take a long time to heal and is just as painful as a sore.
(Perhaps the trauma results in an actual sore, I don't know.)

For these bites this Rx also reduces the pain and greatly accelerates the healing.

 

[phoenixgirl]

I just realized the other day (when I thought a friend was saying he had a canker sore, but it turned out to be something on his tongue) that I used to get canker sores all the time and haven''t gotten one in years. A few years back I started eating less processed food, more veggies, no soda, whole grains, etc., and all these minor health annoyances I had that I thought were just unavoidable went away.

Not really helpful for treatment but perhaps for prevention! I seriously would have never thought canker sores or bathroom problems or sugar crashes would go away with better eating and exercise. Of course I''m not accusing anyone of lacking in these regards (from what I can tell the cause of canker sores isn''t really known), but I figure that must be why mine went away. I used to get them all the time. But I was too lazy to find a good cure; I used to just dab Lip Medex in there. Ew . . . I don''t miss that taste!

 

[lovegem]

Thanks Haven, DiamanteBlu, Patientily_waititng, VIP, AprilBaby, Kenny, Jstarfireb, OctoberBride, Parrot, Bebe and D&T. Great suggestions you have there.

Haven and Patiently_waiting, thanks for the suggestion on L-lysine. Since I am a long time sufferer, I will give it a try as a preventive measure.

D&T and octoberBride, I have tried directly rubbed salt on my sore. It was crazily painful and gave me a severe headache that I couldn''t sleep. It worked the first time, but the second time I tried it didn''t work anymore.

DiamenteBlu, bebe and Parrot, I have never tried rubbing tetracycline, spice or use mixture of benedryl and Maalox. Tetracycline and spice method sound like as painful as the salt

. For my last sore around the lip, I gave Advil a try. I rub some liquid Advil directly on my sore. It sting for a while and then it numbed the area for 2 days. My tongue and teeth that was exposed to the liquid was kind of tingling. I am reluctant to try it again this time, because of the prolonged numbness it caused.

Jstarfireb, I used the watermelon frost many years ago, I found that they didn''t stick to the sore that well. Maybe it has a lot to do with the brand? My DH just told me to give it a try couple days ago. lol

Kenny and April, I will definitely ask about decadron elixir and Kenalog next time I am at my dentist. Hopefully I could get them both in case one doesn''t work.

thank you all again.

 

[kenny]

FWIW any doctor can prescribe it (doesn''t have to be a dentist) and my primary care physician has been issuing the Rx for 15 years.

 

[katebar]

I suffered from these for 48 years till I discovered I was allergic to toothpaste that has Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (basically all toothpastes do). When I switched to one without no more ulcerd. But every time I forget to bring my toothpaste on holiday and use Dh I get them back

 

[jet2ks]

I got canker sores a lot as a kid and teen (no cold sores, thank goodness). The only thing that ever worked was a paste that my dad kept around (he is a Physician''s Assistant, so either had samples or could write the prescription, if needed). I don''t remember the name, but from the description, it must have been the same thing kenny uses. It has now been at least 10 years since I have had one *knock on wood*

 

[kenny]

Gosh I can''t shut up about this. Sorry.

I will add that when I told my doctor that my dentist prescribed this he said he had never heard of this application for this drug.
He cautioned me to not use it constantly because it contains a steroid.

I told him it averages once a month and he said, that''s fine but don''t go crazy and use it constantly as some kind of a prevention therapy. (Some patients are dumb I guess.)

 

[sluke]

As other here has said, switch toothpaste. I had a lot of canker sores growing up and every so rarely will get them now that I''ve switched toothpaste. Rembrant makes one for canker sores, it will say so on the box, but if it does not, choose the "sensitive"one. Also eat yogurt w/ the live active cultures which help kill the bad bateria. While you have them, the yogurt may help the sores heal faster. Rinsing a solution of baking soda and water may help too. Good luck!

 

[HopeDream]

Salt
+1

 

[gemgirl]

Rinse with peroxide and water, and take 1,000 mgs. of Lysine twice a day. It works for us.

 

[cellososweet]

I second the rec for Triamcinolone Acetonide Dental Paste USP 0.1%.


As for prevention, try to figure out what is causing the sores to pop up. For a lot of people, these are culprits: increased smoking, increased sugar intake, stress, artificial sweetners/chemicals in toothpastes and mouthwashes.

Good luck!

 

[joflier]

I always make sure and rinse my mouth with mouthwash a couple times a day and eating yogurt. Seems to help them heal quickly.

 

[merci2u2]

Anyone heard of DEBACTEROL?

 

[AprilBaby]

Nope.

 

[lovegem]

Just want to let you guys know that Kenalog works great. Thanks Kenny for suggesting it.

 

[kenny]

Oh Good!
Thanks for getting back on this.
I'm so glad to be able to share this.

This inexpensive drug has made a huge improvement in my life.
I'm so surprised so few people know about it.

 

[lovegem]

Date: 9/28/2009 11:31:34 PM
Author: kenny
Oh Good!

Thanks for getting back on this.

I'm so glad to be able to share this.


This inexpensive drug has made a huge improvement in my life.

I'm so surprised so few people know about it.

Actually my doc didn't know this can be used for canker sore.

Kenny, since you mention "inexpensive" the second time, may I ask how much did you pay for your 5g tube of Kenalog? My 5g cost $57 (they didn't break down the dispensing fee and the actual cost of the drug in the receipt), although I only paid $2.5 out of pocket.

After I posted here asking for help, my canker sore was so bad that the second day I wasn't able to talk and eating was so painful that I finally went see my doc and got this paste. I immediately felt better the second day after using the paste overnight. I just got another sore two days ago, I am not suffering as much this time for sure. I have been terribly stressed lately that my canker sore just kept on breaking out.

 

[kenny]

I don't buy the Kenalog.
That's the name brand, which is much more expensive.

I buy the generic from TARO.
Scroll up and see my pic above.

My copay is $5.