There are several home remedies for canker sores that you can try out. Among these include using a raw potato and styptic pencil. Find out more about how to get rid of these mouth ulcers.
Canker sores or oral ulcers are not contagious. But a mouth ulcer does hurt even though it is only a tiny blister. It usually breaks out on the inside of the lips or cheek.
The sores usually look whitish or yellowish in the middle and red all around it.
If you treat them early, the sores may heal between 3 days to a week. If you ignore them, they might affect your ability to eat, cause a lot of pain and take longer to heal. The possible causes of canker sores in the mouth are from injury because of the slip of a toothbrush, biting the lips, spicy foods, citrus fruits, stress, lack of certain nutrition, rough or abrasive food and food allergies.
7 Home Remedies For Canker Sores
Avoid Certain Foods
Foods that you should try to refrain from eating include chips because they are normally coarse. You should also not consume acidic or citrus fruits. To speed up the healing of mouth ulcers, avoid foods that are hot and spicy.
Apply Baking Soda or Salt
Apply baking soda paste that has been mixed with water on the affected area. Some people use table salt as home remedies for canker sores. It may sting initially but once the stinging sensation is gone it will help heal the lesion.
Use a Styptic Pencil
A styptic pencil is ideal for minor nicks and cuts and has shown to be effective in treating canker sores.
Place a Slice of Raw Potato
Place a slice of potato, small enough to leave it on the sore for an hour. Then rinse your mouth with salt water. You can also use a pinto bean or blended cabbage as alternative home remedies for canker sores.
Apply Milk of Magnesia
Milk of magnesia which is used as a remedy for constipation when mixed in equal amounts of an allergy medicine such as benadryl may reduce the pain. You can try applying this mixture on your mouth sore. The combination acts as a mild anesthetic.
Apply Goldenseal Root Extract or Honey
If you have goldenseal root extract, apply it directly on the mouth sore. Otherwise use raw honey. If you don't have either one of these, use food grade hydrogen peroxide to help numb the pain.
Brush Your Teeth Gently
If you are rough when you brush your teeth, the toothbrush might hit the sore and it will aggravate the pain. So, just brush your teeth gently, rinse with water and then gargle with an antiseptic mouthwash for 30 seconds.
The best ways to prevent canker sores from developing are to know what causes them. Find out what triggers your mouth ulcers, whether they are food related, a mouth injury or stress, etc. Once you know, avoid them if at all possible. If it's due to a lack of certain nutrition such as vitamin B12, then increase it in your diet. It is also a good practice to drink a lot of water and include healthy supplements such as lysine, yogurt, omega 3 fatty acids and cabbage.
If you suffer from frequent and recurrent mouth ulcers and none of the home remedies for canker sores seems to help, you should see a doctor. This is especially necessary if you develop other problems such as a fever at the same time or the sores develop into scars after they are healed. It could be something more serious.
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