Canker sores

[glaucomflecken]

Does anyone have any home remedies that work to get rid of these? This bugger is killing me and I hate the way orajel numbs my whole mouth!

 

[saturn]

Ouch! I hate canker sores too. I don''t really have any home remedies. I usually just rinse with Listerine twice a day.
You might try warm salt water, though. It''s good for most any mouth/throat/nasal cavity problems.
I hope it goes away quick.

 

[blueroses]

Oh poor baby, I feel your pain. I used to be PLAGUED by these.

Lots of things you can do. First of all, if this is a chronic issue for you, think about switching your toothpaste. I forget which ingredient, but there's a main one in most toothpastes that can be really irritating and potentially cause them. Rembrandt makes a toothpaste especially for canker sore sufferers.

A canker sore is basically an ulcer inside your mouth--so it's acidic. To that end, anything else acidic (citrus, vinegars, salsa...) is going to sting like hell. You can neautralize some of that by going for things that are alkaline, like dairy, mylanta, even chewing on some tums.

In the oral care aisle at the drug store you'll see something called "glyoxide" (though I always buy the cheaper generic, usually called an oral cleanser, it should be 10% carbamide peroxide.) It's a liquid/gel that doesn't numb, but it cleans the canker sore and helps it heal faster--and it does sooth it a little bit. Good stuff.

There's also a rinse from Oral B called amosan which is a powder you mix w/ warm water and rinse with. You could do the home remedy of rinsing with baking soda/water too. (Wouldn't recommend listerine or anything else w/ alcohol, though.

As far as the annoying numbness from orajel, you can always buy BABY orajel which is for teething babies--it's like 5% or 3% benzocaine instead of 20% so it's not so bad. I tend to stay away from kanka and kankaid (those ones that make a sort of adhesive seal over the owee) b/c they do seal it over, but it irritates it as the seal fades and for me anyway, makes it last longer.

And on the EXTREME do-it-yourself side, I've also ground up aspirin, dipped a damp q-tip in it, and applied directly on to the sore. (You can do the same w/ baking soda--an alkaline--or the poweder from amosan to kill some pain w/o numbing up your entire mouth.

HANG IN THERE!!!

 

[Mara]

omg i feel your pain punchie!! i don't typically get these but when i was having all that work done on that stupid problem molar tooth in dec, i kept getting them because my mouth was so upset at all the invasion work. and they were HUGE, like the size of 2-3 combined, and super painful, totally horrible. i was in HELL for 3-4 days..and i tried a variety of things but hardly anything worked consistently. in the end the best way to deal with it was using this thing that greg got for me, i think it was kanka and you put it directly onto the sore, it worked for a while and numbed it but i had to be careful with getting it anywhere else like tongue because then it numbed that area too. total pain! i tried the thing that makes the big seal over it at night which a friend recommended but then it wouldn't dissolve right and i had to peel it off the sore and it was STUCK ON and man that was painful.

i'm going back in tomorrow for a root canal for this stupid same problem tooth so hopefully that takes care of it once and for all (tried everything else), and since they are just making a small tiny hole in my crown to do it so hoping that it won't trigger another set of sores, i am so over it!

good luck and hang in there!

 

[monarch64]

I think I have said this before about the canker sore dilemma, but I will say it again because it is my favorite home remedy: powdered Cream of Tartar (found in the spice aisle of the grocery store) works best for me, it numbs them and dries them up at the same time. It stings at first but I swear by it. My mom taught me that one a long time ago. Maybe I don''t mean "dry them up," really, but it seems that overnight they become smaller and less sensitive in your mouth.

 

[slammie]

I couldn''t help but post..i hate them! I rinse compulsively with salt and listerine. Ouch!! But what''s the absolute WORST for me is cold sores. No one understands how awful they are unless you get them. I usually put alcohol and salt on them and it hurts like hell! Funny thing was, I was looking online the other day because I got one after a awful night with my new baby waking up every hour..can you believe people put nail polish remover and earwax on them???
Anyway, sorry to get off topic!

 

[sluke]

Ouch! I can relate. I get them regularly. The best thing I''ve tried is baking soda. Rinse mouth with baking soda and water. Then followup with mixing a paste with baking soda and putting it directly on the canker sore. This should neutralize the pain. I found this method better than the expensive over the counter product.

Eating yogurt with Live active cultures will keep canker sores from developing and can help heal faster. Good luck!

 

[Momoftwo]

I have a friend who swears by making a paste of salt and water and putting it right on the sore. Something about it drying the surface. Also, avoid soda, salty foods and anything that can irritate it, especially hard foods that can scratch it. It will take about a week to heal no matter what you do. It''s a virus. All I can say is I got them a lot over about a 3 year period in my late 20''s, early 30''s and haven''t had one in about 15 years now. I think stress makes you more susceptible, just like it does to catch anything else.

 

[eks6426]

Ouch! I've had canker sores for years. Here's the things that have worked for me:

The salt/baking powder mixture is usually where I start. It's easy, but hurts.

For more numbing, you can chew on cloves. Sounds strange, but it does help some. I've also had luck with the cream of tartar.

OTC--Kanka--helps numb the pain and works better than Oragel...but tastes really nasty. It's also liquid which is way easier than a gel or anything that is supposed to stick on the sore.

Mine have gotten so bad that I have seen the dermatologist for them. I have 2 prescription topicals that are the consistency of vaseline that seem to help them clear up quicker than anything I else I've come up with.

You used to be able to get silver nitrate sticks from the pharmacist...one touch and it's the worst pain of your life but then the canker sore was gone. Wish these were still around...

 

[glaucomflecken]

THANKS everyone! Im going to try some of these remedies. I definitely think it is stress...I was unemployed and stressing out about everything! (yay, I found a job!)

 

[fountainfairfax]

when I was going through my divorce I had canker sores the size of quarters- ouch!

My therapist said that stress effects amino acids. She suggested L-lysine suppliments. After about three days the sores were gone! Ever since then if I feel one coming on I start back on the L-lysine and can usually avoid them from becoming full sores and I always start L-lysine a few days before dental work. No more sores!

 

[blueroses]

FFF, that sounds great--is this something you can find in the vitamin aisle?

 

[larussel03]

I mix mylanta and benadryl and swish(1/2 and 1/2). The mylanta will help heal the ulcer and the benadryl will help numb.

I''ve got one right now but luckily it''s in a part of my lip that miraculously doenst move enough to bug me all the time. I get them alot, and they''re sooooooooooooooo not fun.

 

[larussel03]

Date: 1/24/2006 6:26:41 AM
Author: Momoftwo
I have a friend who swears by making a paste of salt and water and putting it right on the sore. Something about it drying the surface. Also, avoid soda, salty foods and anything that can irritate it, especially hard foods that can scratch it. It will take about a week to heal no matter what you do. It''s a virus. All I can say is I got them a lot over about a 3 year period in my late 20''s, early 30''s and haven''t had one in about 15 years now. I think stress makes you more susceptible, just like it does to catch anything else.

actually they dont know that cankers are caused by viruses. Lots of times trauma or stress or acidic foods can cause them. Cold sores def are caused by viruses, they''re caused by a herpes simplex virus, but cankers seem to be more the genetic makeup of your body and immune system. The cankers or ulcers form as a result of your immune system (specifically lymphocytes) attacking the cause of the sore, such as introduced bacteria, or trauma. Viruses tend to rely on living latently in ganglia (for example) then ''creeping down'' opportunistically. Just a little microbio from me to you

 

[fountainfairfax]

Date: 1/25/2006 11:22:20 PM
Author: blueroses
FFF, that sounds great--is this something you can find in the vitamin aisle?

Yes, I always find it in my local drug store vitamin section. I have told others and they said it works very well for them as well. Maybe amino acids help viruses go dormant or maybe L-lysine just helps in the healing process, but either way it''s been a huge help for me!

 

[Mara]

yes cankers and cold sores are different....i found a bunch of information on them when i was trying to find some homeopathic remedy when i had the monster one going on.

lucky for me, knock on wood, my root canal was not mouth invasive (they just made a hole in my crown top) so i didn''t get any this time, it''s been 2 days, keeping fingers crossed but it feels okay.

the l-lysine makes sense actually...i will have to keep that in mind in case of any future major dental work since that is what seems to trigger mine, the mouth stress. i have seen it at the drugstore in the vitamin area.

 

[sarita]

When I was younger I used to get canker sores all the time - sometimes, at the worst, I'd have like 3 or 4 in the mouth at the same time - probably from all the flilth I had on my fingers biting my nails. When I was a kid and crying from the pain my grandpop used to say "that's what you get for kissing those cats all the time!" haha. And I don't know how anyone can use Oragel for that - I tried it on the last one I got and while it does numb - eventually - the first 15 secs are excruciating!

I have a cold sore right now. At least I think that's what it is. Is this what it sounds like?: It is not swollen anymore (my lips were all puffy and peeling when I first noticed it - I got it on the flight back home from vacation) but it's in the corner of my mouth where it splits and it's dry and crusty when I wake up in the morning. I bought some camphp-penique that's supposed to target the scab that's forming when it's drying out.

I think I had a cold sore once a long time ago but I don't remember it being exactly like this which is dry and not really raised.