<p>You guys seem to know what to do in every situation, so I have a painful, reoccurring problem that I was hoping somebody here would know about. </p>
<p>I tend to get relatively frequent canker sores compared to other people I know. I will get a canker sore probably at least once a month or so, and at least a few times a year I get two or three at once. When this happens, it makes it really painful to eat or even speak, and my lymph nodes in my neck swell up and make my whole jaw sore too. </p>
<p>I was wondering if there was something that I might be doing to cause these canker sores. I know they typically show up if I bite my cheek or scratch myself on a bit of crunchy food, but are there other contributors? I have decent oral hygiene, and I floss every day, but I typically don’t use mouthwash because I’m in a rush in the morning. Is there something effective to prevent getting canker sores? Also, what can I do to treat them when they’re already there? Usually my family advocates swishing with salt water or mouthwash or diluted peroxide, and I use a medicine called Zilactin-B, but the sores seem to take forever to go away and nothing really seems to help them heal.</p>
<p>My younger daughter used to get it a lot when she was little. I heard baking soda was good for it. I started buying tooth paste with baking soda, and she doesn’t get it any more.</p>
<p>This could be a wife’s tale…my grandmother used to take the water from cooking rice and dab it on my canker sour when I was little, and I remember it seem to make it go away. I also heard that eating fruit and vegies (vitamin C) is a good preventive measure. </p>
<p>Our student has suffered for years–just in the past year has this issue seemed to dissipate. Student uses mouthwash–regularly! I don’t think they have totally disappeared, but the amount and duration have seemed to decrease. Perhaps student has just outgrown them!! At any rate, we tried all of the above remedies…even taking Lysine tablets. Nothing has worked–except regular mouthwash now. I am assuming that the mouthwash is killing the bacteria buildup. Also, stress is beginning to subside or maybe student is handling it better (had been told for years that it could be stress related!). Just make sure you get plenty of rest. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Many of my female friends experience them on a monthly basis, tied to their menstrual cycle. Stress, lack of sleep, and your diet can all impact the frequency and severity.</p>
<p>My dentist recommended toothpaste without sodium lauryl sulfate. Rembrandt is what I used, but there are others if you can find them. I had the pharmacist at Target order the toothpaste for me (and one of my boys), and it does seem to help.</p>
<p>My dentist also prescribed a mouth rinse that helped numb them for eating, but didn’t really make them heal faster.</p>
<p>Ask your doctor/dentist for a prescription for “kenalog in orabase.” It’s a little tube of grainy paste and should be applied directly to the sore with a Q tip. It sticks to the gums pretty well. A small amount (smaller than a pea) will go a long way. Should be applied right before bed and after all drinking and eating is finished.</p>
<p>This anesthetizes the sore immediately and by morning, condition should be much improved. I never had to apply this more than two nights in a row and I do this at the very first sign of a sore.</p>
<p>Allergies can also cause canker sores. Orange juice, Bananas, and Cashew Nuts can set me off. First happened to me as an adult living in the tropics and living mostly on fruit… Go Figure…</p>
<p>I’m not a parent but I also get them often–usually when I don’t get enough sleep.
I’ve been using mouthwash to prevent and to cure them. It’s definitely painful to use it while you have the sores but they are super effective.</p>
<p>I get them when I eat a lot of acidy foods, like fruits. Regularly (a couple times a day) rubbing salt on them clears them up quicker than any medicine I’ve seen, but it’s painful.</p>
<p>Ugh. I’m just getting over a giant canker sore at the back of my mouth which has been so painful. I definitely think I get more when I am under stress. My dentist years ago told me some people may just be more susceptible to them. Sometimes when I brush my teeth if I jab my gums accidentally with the toothbrush I’ll get a canker sore in that spot by the next day. If I rinse the area right away with a strong mouthwash it seems to prevent the canker sore from forming. I speculate that I either kill or rinse away bacteria that may aid in the development of the canker sore, but I have no idea if that’s why it doesn’t form. It does seem to help though. My daughter currently has a nasty one from her braces, so I look forward to all the good info here.</p>
<p>I use an Asian remedy that works quite well. It’s called Watermelon Frost, and it’s a little box of tablets that are pink and minty flavored. You suck on the tablet as it dissolves, putting it right on the canker sore. I do this several times a day and usually the sore doesn’t develop. The tablets are also could for sore throats. </p>
<p>I think you can find them at Asian grocery stores.</p>
<p>Canker sores can be caused by any kind of trauma to the mouth/gums, independent of bacteria or infection. Also can be caused by allergic reaction (food, etc), stress or lack of sleep.</p>
<p>Triamcinolone (I guess the brand name is kenalog?) is a steroid that can be <em>very</em> effective, basically reducing the inflammation that causes the sore in the first place (as opposed to just numbing it). It’s quite potent and fast acting and I’ve found that a tiny dab will usually do the trick, sometimes needing a few reapplies.</p>
<p>To help prevent and heal mouth irritations, I use an OTC oral rinse called Peroxyl. Use it after brushing before bedtime. It’s a great product - sold at Walgreens, CVS and other pharmacies.</p>
<p>I don’t have a cure…but when anyone in my family gets one, we put Oragel on it to help deal with the pain. Oragel completely removes the discomfort. </p>
<p>I keep some in my purse and have squeezed some out for others when we gone out dining and they complain that they can’t eat.</p>
<p>(Oragel is also good for pain from paper cuts!)</p>
<p>Eat yogurt every day…it has beneficial bacteria that helps to keep the sores at bay.
Once you do get them, look for a product called “Canker Melts.” Placed on the sores, they relieve pain and help to heal them more quickly. Our rite aid has them and they’re also available on Amazon.
I also suggest using toothpaste without the sodium laurel sulfate.
BTW, I agree that they can be stress-related but knowing that doesn’t seem to help the situation! Good Luck!</p>
<p>I get them frequently (usually when the inside of my mouth is bruised a bit, such as from a bite or an errant toothbrush). This then develops into a excruciatingly painful sore that agonizes me for days! A friend told me to press an antacid tablet to the sore and hold it there letting it melt away–and the sore will not develop further. I swear it works for me, but you have to do it at the really early stages of the sore.</p>
<p>I used to get canker sores whenever stressed, my dh got cold sores…years ago, fussing at a boss for staying late at work and getting a canker sore, he said, just take Vitamin C…so I did. no more canker sores. dh, then a surgical resident, said that’s fine for you but I’m not taking it. a few months and several cold sores later he started and 25 years later still takes Vit c. I no longer seem to get them. YMMV</p>
<p>I used to get them a lot as a child. My mother always had me put powdered alum on it. Dab a bit on, lean over the sink and drool for a bit. Don’t swallow – the stuff is vile!</p>
<p>One of my kids used to get them. We bought various oragel and other treatments. Finally went out and bought a bottle of alum (in the spices). Worked better than anything, and he still uses it when necessary.</p>
<p>About 10% of the population has recurrent aphthous stomatitis, which is basically a genetic tendency to get canker sores. I have it.</p>
<p>Canker sores can be triggered by any number of things - allergies, vitamin B12 or iron deficiency, physical trauma to the mouth, and sudden weight loss can all bring them on. When you do get them, I suggest some sort of topical oral anesthetic. It won’t make the ulcer go away, but it’ll make the period that it’s there less horribly painful.</p>
<p>I have one son who gets them in the winter when we have tons of oranges, clementines, etc. When I was very young I also got them in the winter orange season when consumption increased although I no longer get them at all. My mom used to use gentian violet to sooth the sores. It’s hard to find, but I finally did find it and my son says it helps.</p>