The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Milk of Magnesia, Allergy Meds
Posted by Amanda (San antonio, TX) on 12/27/2007
★★★★★
I swished one part Milk of Mag to one part Liquid Allergy Med in my mouth and my cold sores were painless and i was able to eat better.
Multivitamins
Posted by Window (Rothbury, Mi, Usa) on 05/25/2013
★★★★★
My daughter used to get canker sores almost every week. We tried all different remedies, but I finally found something that has worked for us so well that I don't remember the last time she got one. She takes a multivitamin for older women it says on the label for women over 50, it has alot of extra b vitamins. She also takes a probiotic that has 20 billion live cultures in it. The kind we get is shelf stable, doesent have to be refrigerated and has 10 different strains. That's it! We take these two pills every night and that has resolved her painful problem.
I hope it can help someone else out there!!
Multivitamins
Posted by Jill (Ashland, OR) on 11/14/2008
★★★★★
I have always had Canker sores. All of my life I have been dealing with having and getting rid of Canker sores. Finally I have found a solution, and I am very happy for it. All I have to do now is make sure I take a multi-vitamin every three days and I am totally fine. If I start to get one, I know I have missed my dose and take a vitamin and soon, it goes away. I am not sure what it is in the vitamin, I goggled vitamin and Canker on the web and found that it might be Vitamin B, B-12, Iron, Folate or Vitamin C. Either way, I have been deficient and now I will be sure that I have all my vitamins. Give thanks. And thanks Earth clinic and everyone who writes in, the posts here with ACV helped me get over my sore throats and stay healthy!
Multivitamins
Posted by Patrick (Salt Lake City, Utah) on 01/18/2008
★★★★★
I have been getting mouth ulcers for as long as I can remember I have tried everything from baking soda to all the products you buy at the store to keep the pain down, witch a lot of them keep the pain down for a short time and they taste nasty so my food taste nasty. the best thing that works for me is a MULTI VITAMIN, I take one a day and I haven't had a mouth ulcer for months.
Mustard
Posted by Rodney (Fort Wayne, IN) on 01/04/2009
★★★★★
For whatever reason if you put Mustard directly on your canker sores it burn then the pain is gone. Instant relief. I don't know if it heals anything but it sure feels better for a while and you don't have to run out and buy anything special.
Replied by Chris
(Sarnia, Ontario)
10/22/2009
★★★★★
Oil Pulling
Posted by Arnezi (Spokane, Wa ) on 05/27/2016
★★★★★
I get huge canker sores that are extremely painful sometimes, and this last one I swished coconut oil 1 tablespoon with 1 drop of oregano essential oil for 10 minutes in my mouth and then spit it in the trash. The pain was gone. I did this 2x a day for 2 days and it was gone. I was so happy I found something that worked.
Replied by Mmsg
(Somewhere, Europe)
05/28/2016
Oil Pulling
Posted by Eileen (Exton, Pa, Usa) on 05/03/2012
★★★★★
Yesterday I awoke to a painful bump on the inside of my right cheek. It felt like a pimple/ulcer and I knew this could get worse. So, I remember when I had a small white painful bump on my tongue a while back I tried oil pulling which healed it overnight. Why not for the inside of my mouth?! I used olive oil, swished for 20 minutes, rinsed w/ the warm salt water solution and I kid you not, when I went to feel the bump with my tongue, it was gone--and so was the pain--that instantly! (I actually could feel the pain subsiding as I was swishing. ) Oil pulling is now my go-to for ANYTHING concerning the mouth!! :)
Oil Pulling
Posted by Jon (Pueblo, Co) on 03/12/2011
★★★★★
I am a 69 year old male, and have suffered most of my life with canker sores. I've treated them with many things, including alum... "ouch!!! " and H2O2, but found relief using echineasa / golden seal in a liquid herbal solution, applied with a cotton swab.
AND the BEST solution: oil pulling! I have been using this technique once daily now for well over a year, for the general health benefits. OP leaves your mouth clean and promotes rapid healing after "biting your cheek" or upon noticing a canker sore coming on. When I think I have a canker starting, I will add a session of OP. I think that I have only had one canker sore this past year that lingered past two or three days. I recommend using either sunflower oil or virgin coconut oil, available at natural grocers or health food stores.
Replied by Mmsg
(Somewhere, Europe)
03/20/2011
★★★★★
Oral Care
Posted by NMadrid (Madrid, Spain) on 05/23/2009
★★★★★
I used to suffer terribly with canker sores since childhood, till a friend recommended salt toothpaste - I obviously can't mention the brand here, but the main ingredient is baking soda and I have to say that for me (and the friend who recommended it) this really has been a miracle cure!
Oral Care
Posted by Mike (Sofia, Bulgaria) on 10/02/2008
★★★★★
I suffered with mouth ulcers for 20 years or more. Recently I realized I wasn't rinsing well after brushing my teeth, and I know that sodium lauryl sulphate in toothpaste is an evil chemical known to cause mouth ulcers. So I decided to rinse my mouth out thoroughly several times (and gargle) with water after brushing. Since I've been doing that I have been free of mouth ulcers. We're talking about months, so I am very pleased.
I've also been eating a lot more omega 3 (in tuna/salmon/lamb). I see some people here recommend flax oil, so that might also be responsible.
Replied by Mike
(Sofia, Bulgaria)
01/25/2009
★★★★★
Oral Care
Posted by Catherine (Corona, CA) on 12/27/2006
★★★★★
I've had a lot of success with rotating toothbrushes. Make sure you have at least four toothbrushes and when you have canker sores brush your teeth four times a day, but never use a toothbrush more than once in 24 hours. This worked very well for me for about ten years.
Papaya Leaf Tea
Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 06/13/2014
★★★★★
Having read Dave from Fountain Inn's brave experiments with Papaya (in the name of science, of course. (Have you lost those extra pounds, or are they there as a living testament to your brave pioneering spirit??!! ) I discovered a bag of Papaya leaf tea here and decided to try it for recurring Canker Sores. After waiting for three outbreaks, all of which were cured with the tea, I am happy to report that fact here. The relief from pain takes about 2 days of 1-2 teas daily (1 tsp. tea leaves in a cup of boiling water. Either boiled for a bit, or just left to steep) and the cure depends on how strictly I stay away from my triggers (certain baked goods, bananas and more than my tolerance level of citrus).
Pau D'arco
Posted by Susan (USA)
★★★★★
Pau d'Arco brings canker sore relief. Use as a poultice on the site of the sore. Pau d'Arco is an astringent and soothes the sore so that eating is a little more bearable. L-Lysine does work wonders too. Try the Pau d' Arco as a poultice on the site of the sore for a bit of relief before eating.
Peppermint Oil
Posted by Anon (Anon) on 07/02/2020
★★★★★
Peppermint oil seems to have shrunk the canker sore I had. I was putting a drop of the oil in my mouth once a day. That was three days ago, the sore is gone. It had been there about three days before I used the oil.
I mixed several drops with tea tree oil in a capsule and inserted it to see if it would get rid of what appears to be hpv on my cervix. That was 12 hours ago and my period has just started a week early.
Probiotics
Posted by Jnell (Lumby, Bc, Canada) on 04/14/2013
★★★★★
Probiotics for Mouth Ulcers: This is so painful at first, if you're dealing with a large ulcer, but it works everytime. Open up your probiotic capsule(s) 1 or 2 is good, pour onto a dish, add only a few drops of water at a time to form a kind of paste, then, using clean hands, use your index finger to scoup up some of the paste and push it up into the sore. Try and keep from swallowing for a bit (you'll get a little drooly) between 2 and 5 minutes is good, but the longer the better I suppose. You want to do this 3 or 4 times/day.... but I've never had to do it for more then a day, once I had one about the size of a quarter on the roof of my mouth and that was nearly gone after the second treatment! It does hurt terribly bad, but only while your pushing the probiotics into the wound.
