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.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Katty (Virginia) on 04/09/2016
★☆☆☆☆
When I tried this it not only took the canker sore away but it left a even bigger sore like if you were to of just rip the first layer of my inner lip apart that how bad it is it just made it so much worse
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Evan (Nyc, US) on 04/13/2014
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
I am prone to canker sores when under lots of stress. While recovering from my first bad illness in 4 years (I almost never get sick) I developed several nasty canker sores in my mouth. I saw that many people had success with ACV, applying it with q-tips and cotton balls. Since I had 4-5 canker sores and was impatient, I decided to just gargle with ACV for about 3 minutes, thinking that would be more effective. Well, the canker sores certainly got better, but the prolonged exposure to ACV burned my tongue and every surface of my mouth. Now it's the day after and I can barely taste anything, eating is an unpleasant chore and anything acidic or spicy is quite painful. When not eating, the inside of my mouth feels like it was soaked in tannins, which is also really unpleasant. So, if you're going to use ACV for canker sores, be smart and apply it ONLY to the sore as it will burn your healthy mouth tissue.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Michelle (Milwaukee, Wi) on 08/06/2013
★☆☆☆☆
ACV made my canker sore much larger.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Kkenn (Detroit, Mi) on 01/27/2013
★☆☆☆☆
Putting apple cider vinegar, or any vinegar on a canker sore will only make it worse. Apple cider is very acidic, and acid makes the sores worse. You should avoid orange juice, tomatoes, vinegar, etc.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Pinklantana (Weatherford, Tx) on 11/07/2012
★☆☆☆☆
My daughter gets canker sores anytime she bite her mouth eating or what ever. I tried the ACV due to all the reviews but it made it much worse. We dipped a q-tip in ACV and placed it on the ulcer, it then bled and the ulcer lasted longer and was worse than normal. I think ACV is great for alot of things and thats why we tried this remedy but it didn't work for us in this case.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Julie (Boston, Ma, Usa ) on 12/12/2011
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
I have Celiac disease which means my body rejects/can not process wheat/barley gutens) One of my symptoms after exposure to wheat are canker sores, I use to suffer from them constantly before I fully cut out wheat. Now I do not eat any wheat or gluten products on purpose, but I live in a gluten filled world so sometimes the slightest bit will slip into a food I eat or personal care product and when that happens: hello cankers!
This weekend I was glutened so I decided to try ACV and am now able to say with certainty that my cankers are not caused by bacteria. The bad news? I now look like I lost a fight with a fist! The pain went away, but the lip became swollen at an alarming rate. I used a salt wash to clear the Viniger and now have an aspirin sitting on a sore. The swelling seems to be going down already.
If you too suffer with cankers from Celiac issues, take caution as celiac cankers are most likely an acid issue and not bacteria. Too bad I didn't read that before the fat lip!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Cselestyna (Calgary, Alberta) on 07/13/2010
★☆☆☆☆
Okay so I have the hugest canker sore between my gums and cheek... I love acv for everything. But when I tried this tip last night my mouth was in so much pain I couldn't sleep! I felt the pain right down to the root of my teeth, even my hair hurt. Finally I had to rinse my mouth with warm salt water. So if this works for you then great but personally it was NOT a good experience. However I will continue to take it for other things.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Jess (Rocky Point, Ny Usa) on 11/26/2009
★☆☆☆☆
used ACV on a qtip on My sores- got MORE! grew into a huge sore and got more on my tounge- all the pain for nothing! Went to the dentist, who referred me to an oral surgeon who confirmed that it had only aggravated my sores... DONT USE THIS!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Brock (Brentwood, California) on 12/14/2008
★☆☆☆☆
Apple Cider Vinegar did not help my canker sore. I used a q-tip filled with ACV and it burned alot and had no relief within the next 24 hours.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Nick (Quebec, QC, Canada) on 10/08/2008
★☆☆☆☆
Apple Cider Vinegar: I used this product for my canker sores but it only got worse. Not much worse, but still. But now I finally understand why it doesn't work on some people or even makes it worse...Most canker sores are caused by a specific type of bacteria while this vinegar can kill it and speeds healing. But in less common cases, canker sores are caused by acidity. In this case the vinegar, which is acid, worsens the case. If your symptom worsens, rinse mouth regularly with warm salt water to counter the acid.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Alicia (Ashland, WI) on 09/21/2008
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
I tried using the ACV yesterday due to the mostly positive feedback and because I was desperate for ANYTHING to ease this horrible pain and let me tell you.. IT DOES NOT WORK!!!! First off it burns like hell, and this morning I wake up and instead of just having a small one on the side of my tongue I know have like 5 of them going all the way down the side of my tongue. I am way worse of now then I was before. Please think twice before trying this! Yesterday, I was in pain but today I can barely even drink water because it hurts so much.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Shawn (Billings, MT) on 07/31/2008
★☆☆☆☆
I don't think I agree with the ACV remedy. I tried this on Wednesday after feeling terrible pain from the canker sore. Immediately after I drank the ACV I pissed my pants and forgot who I was for about a half hour. I may have used too much or something, also, are you supposed to swallow it? Didn't really care for that.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Mary (Volcano, HI) on 07/19/2008
★☆☆☆☆
I tried acv on 3 small canker sores which weren't too painful but bothered me most in the evening. The next morning I got up and they were all bigger and hurt like crazy all day. The acv definately made them worse.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Karen (Bozeman, USA) on 10/26/2007
★☆☆☆☆
Have read with interest the articles on ACV and decided to try it. 3 days later and I have a mouth full of canker sores. Having good success healing them with alum, the pickling spice. No pain w/ application,but what did I do wrong? I'd like to continue with ACV as it has so many health benefits but can't live with mouth sores. Now what?
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Philip (Mt. Horeb, WI) on 09/05/2006
★☆☆☆☆
I don't know what you people are smoking, but Apple Cider Vinegar doesn't heal canker sores at all, it hurts to use it at first and the relief is only temporary. I actually started to get more Canker Sores from using it. Why do you think an acid is going to help when eating acidic foods is one of the causes?
