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How to Get Rid of Canker Sores (Mouth Ulcers)

Canker Sore Causes and Treatment

Margaret Boyles
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Ever had a canker sore? A type of mouth ulcer, these shallow white lesions are small and can appear anywhere inside the mouth, including the gums, tongue, and inside of the lips.  They can make eating and drinking mighty uncomfortable for a week or more. Here’s how to relieve canker sores.

What are Canker Sores?

Canker sores are whitish, red-bordered, slightly-cratered sores inside the mouth. Medical science knows that these commonly occurring sores by the somewhat frightening names, aphthous stomatitis, or aphthous ulcers. Women are more susceptible to canker sores than men, and some people seem more likely to get them than others.

The good news: unlike cold sores*, they aren’t infectious, so you can’t spread them to others or to other parts of your own body.

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What Causes Canker Sores?

Brought on by stress, allergies, gluten sensitivity, hormonal changes, injury to the mouth, dental work, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, or—most commonly—unknown causes, canker sores typically heal without treatment within a week or two.

But experts recommend consulting your healthcare professional if:

  • A canker sore bleeds, oozes, or crusts over.
  • You experience fever or severe, long-lasting pain.
  • Your canker sore is unusually large and persistent.
  • You suffer frequently recurring canker sores, which may suggest an underlying disease.

How to Prevent Canker Sores

To help prevent recurrent canker sores, healthcare professionals suggest:

  • Avoiding toothpastes containing sodium lauryl sulfate.
  • Reflecting on what trigger foods or drinks might be the culprit. Common triggers: walnuts, strawberries, eggs, cheese, chocolate, spicy foods.
  • Consulting your orthodontist if sharp edges on braces, dental retainers, or other dental appliances irritate your mouth.

Canker Sore Remedies

You can choose from a variety of prescription and over-the-counter products to soothe the pain and accelerate healing. I suffered a series of painful canker sores last winter, before discovering my increased intake of walnuts as the culprit.

My favorite natural remedy: a soothing cup of warm sage/chamomile tea, swooshing it around as a mouthwash while I sipped.

Another remedy is to simply rinse your mouth with baking soda (dissolve 1 teaspoon of baking soda in 1/2 cup warm water).

It also can help to blot your sores with milk of magnesia a few times a day.

To find relief from pain, let some ice chips dissolve in your mouth.
Also, be sure to use a very soft toothbrush and try a sensitive toothpaste, nothing abrasive.

* Don’t confuse canker sores with cold sores. Cold sores (“fever blisters”), caused by the herpes simplex virus, occur on the outside of the mouth, typically on or around the lips. Often brought on by stress or hormonal changes, they appear as red, painful, fluid-filled blisters that are highly contagious. See how to treat cold sores!

Natural Remedies
About The Author

Margaret Boyles

Margaret Boyles is a longtime contributor to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. She wrote for UNH Cooperative Extension, managed NH Outside, and contributes to various media covering environmental and human health issues. Read More from Margaret Boyles

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Comments

Anne (not verified)

2 years 2 months ago

Vitamin B-Complex supplementation; or eating foods high a Vitamin B2; (dairy); helps alleviate canker-symptoms:

comfort finds (not verified)

4 years 2 months ago

well thanks for sharing the tips ,i will try this at home . These are really good remedies for canker sores.

Janice (not verified)

4 years 6 months ago

Years ago you would use Tincture of Violet from the drug store. It worked then and should work now. But don't know if they still have it at the drug counter.

Enid (not verified)

6 years 2 months ago

Several European friends told me that gargling with or just swooshing Sunflower Seed Oil in the mouth is a perfect remedy for canker sores. They were right - it never fails to work! Especially good just before going to sleep after your dental hygiene routine. The sunflower seed oil has a pleasant nutty taste.

Using Oils as a "mouth wash cure" is known as "Oil Pulling"; any type of oil works; you gargle with the oil for about 5 minutes; "gets germs"; they say Canker is not caused by a germ; however; I got some bad canker sores solely by shaking someone hand is how I got had them!;
I read the comments; I would go with "Oils; Vitamins; Lysine; "cankerbegone.com: which is basically Herbal extracts including "Goldenseal";
Goldenseal is "the Mother of Herbs";(imo); interesting !!!

Sounds good! Natural, flavorful, easy to come by, not likely to cause side effects. Appropriate for the whole family. What you want in a good home remedy. Thanks for the tip, Enid.

Dan (not verified)

6 years 2 months ago

This works really well, but initially will give a brief burning sensation. Swish some Listerine, or equivalent in your mouth and keep it up until the burning mostly subsides. When you get through that, the sores will stop hurting and will heal very quickly. Yes, there's a bit of pain involved, but it will immediately neutralize the outbreak and you will be very glad you did this.

Janice Cagan-Teuber (not verified)

6 years 2 months ago

Regarding Silver Nitrate. My mom used to use Silver Nitrate (liquid, applied by Q-Tip) on our canker sores. It always worked. The problem is that if you get it on your teeth, it will turn your teeth black. So we had to keep our lips away from our teeth until the Nitrate "dried" so it wouldn't discolor our teeth.

It's a product you're more likely to find in a health food store or online. It's a soft pocket size balm stick. you use your finger tip to swipe some off the stick and apply to sore inside mouth. Heals very quickly, overnight, for some perhaps 2 days. It really works like nothing else. Doesn't hurt or taste bad. Won't work if the mouth ulcer from acidic food or Crohns Disease. www.cankersoresbegone.com

VanessaA (not verified)

8 years 5 months ago

I always use tums. Take one and let it dissolve on the sore. It hurts but then heals within a day or 2. I used to get them so bad they would go down my throat and I couldn't eat. Take a tablespoon of Mylanta and swish and swallow it about 15 min before eating and it numbs your mouth.