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.
Alkalize
Posted by Cheese Head (Madison, Wisconsin) on 07/01/2011
★★★★★
Alum etc are cures for an outbreak of canker sores. The underlying factor is an acid ph. Try your Apple Cider Vinegar with a half teaspoon of baking soda 3 times per day or use a highly alkalizing food such as green magma.... 2 tsp in water 3 times per day and you will get rid of the current outbreak and not get them any more. Stay off of acid foods like white flour, sugar and you'll be rid of them for good. Thanks to Ted and all at earth clinic, , , , The cheese head..
Avoid Gluten
Posted by Gs In Va (Richmond, Va) on 06/16/2011
★★★★★
I read Steve's post about the canker sores and totally thought about Gluten. I learned I was Gluten Intolerant in Oct 2009. I had read on Celiac dot com that canker sores will go away after going gluten free and I was like " yeah right" because I have had them ALL MY LIFE. If I eat anything that nicks my cheek or gum, a huge painful canker sore would appear and take 2 weeks or more to go away. I was buying Kanka all the time to help ease the pain. If I bit my cheek, same thing would happen.
After going Gluten Free I have not had a single canker sore, since 2009. I've nicked my cheek, bit my cheek, all by accident and a little cut would be there from it and be gone over night... Never ever turns into a canker sore. I am proof and I've told my entire family and friends. Amazing!
Oil Pulling
Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 03/20/2011
★★★★★
after years of recurring canker sores, and trying many of the remedies on this site, the one that is finally working for me is oil pulling (15 minutes once or twice daily) with vco. Thank you!
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.
Yogurt
Posted by Whitney (Livonia, Mi) on 01/01/2011
★★★★★
Years ago a friend of mine had a mouth full of canker sores. Everything the dr gave her never worked includin lanicaine, she couldn't talk or function. After months of going through this we tried natural home remidies and found out it was great. Yogurt, the kind that has fruit on the bottom, the kind you stir to mix up, this activates the live cultures in it to soothe the pain and get to the real problem. Which is a intestinal flura upset. Yogurt balances all this out and within eating 1 to 2 or three a day all canker sores will be gone within 24 to 48 hours. I have recomdend this to other friends and even did this with my girls when they were little, worked everytime. The best thing about this is anyone from babies to adults can eat this, and is so much cheaper than a dr appointment and perscriptions that aren't always going to work. Good luck to everyone. And I hope you find this helpful.
Ibuprofen
Posted by Mary (Philadelphia, Pa) on 12/23/2010
★★★★★
Thank you!!!! This afternoon a canker sore became incredibly painful. Tried salt water. Tried lisine. Came here and tried Apple Cider Vinegar. All either did nothing or made it hurt more. Kept reading here and saw all the good aspirin reports. Didn't have aspirin so I used ibuprofen instead. Oh my goodness, it's now numb. No pain at all. Even if it doesn't last, a bit of relief is a godsend!
B Complex, Vitamin C
Posted by Lala (Eastern Shore, Va) on 11/18/2010
★★★★★
I used to get canker sores, but then I started taking vitamins, particularly a multi-B, plus C and I've never had them since. My doctor recommended the multi-B, plus C supplement. The B also has a nice side effect of improving my complexion overall. For a quick cure, however, I used to put salt on them - it would burn like heck, but then the sore would go away the next day. I also think a crushed vitamin C tablet would be good.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Heidi (Van Nuys, Ca, Usa) on 09/09/2010
★★★★☆
Yay - My second painful canker sore just showed up yesterday, and last night it woke me up from my sleep. I tried dobbing some tea tree oil on it with a q-tip, and the pain was immediately eased enough to get back to sleep. I don't know if it will help speed the healing, but it does certainly help a great deal with the pain!
Alum, H2O2, Aspirin
Posted by Kay (In The Valley, Ca) on 09/04/2010
Hey, I'm thinking 7 beers might be the cure for a lot of things, maybe we should start a new catagory here........... Maybe......... Party animal pain relief remedies! I'm sure it would be a relief for insomniacs! It would sure put me to sleep!!! Very funny post, thank you so much for making us smile!!
Toothpaste Without Sls
Posted by Dale (Kearney, Nebraska) on 09/01/2010
Definitely! I regularly got canker sores and even once had a large lesion on the inside of my cheek and swollen lymph glands (I had the habit of holding my toothbrush in my mouth while I attended to something else before I finished brushing). I used baking soda to brush with for awhile and that was fine (sweet aftertaste, too :-), but no fluoride or polishing. Then I discovered the SLS connection and bought the SLS free brand (lousy aftertaste ;-p). They also make a sensitive teeth product-you can get it at Amazon. It's been several months now without a canker sore.
Alum, H2O2, Aspirin
Posted by Jessica (Jefferson City, Mo, Usa) on 08/07/2010
Gargling with a shot of Jamison has helped mine, along with alum & gargling with peroxide. Jamison worked better than the OTC numbing spray.
Water Pulling
Posted by Msg (Somewhere, Europe) on 03/20/2010
★★★★★
i tried oil pulling with water instead of oil. i have been having recurrent canker sores for the past 3 years. after a week of "water pulling" they are greatly reduced. i spit out the water when it gets too much volume, and just continue with new water. i drink after cleaning my mouth when i'm done pulling.
Goldenseal
Posted by Bradc (San Rafael, Ca, United States) on 02/07/2010
★★★★★
I haven't seen this method but it works like a charm. GOLDENSEAL. In liquid format. It doesn't sting like Alum, and has other healing properties as well. Goldenseal is a natural antibiotic.
First I'm going to tell you the method, then I'll tell you from my experience why cankers appear in the first place and what you can do as a preventative.
Get good strong, high quality liquid Goldenseal from a health food store --- do not get the cheap variety from a drugstore. Put a thimble full in a shot glass and fill the shot glass to about 3/4 with nice hot/warm water. Dump all of it into your mouth. Sit there with the mixture in your mouth for about 20 minutes - maybe go watch some TV. But be active while you are watching. Swish it around on your canker(s), push it, pull it, blow out your cheek. Make the Goldenseal get INTO your canker. When done, spit it out but don't rinse. Leave the residue in your mouth and go about your day. You should notice pretty immediate relief as your canker starts to go down and shrink.
Do this again after every meal and as needed. This is because food and drink of any kind will tend to stimulate your canker. You need to calm your mouth down again with the Goldenseal mixture. Do it right before you go to bed as well so the mixture residue can be in your mouth, protecting, while you sleep.
Now, here are a few other things about cankers and the reasons you get them (from my research and what I have been able to understand).
It's an acidic imbalance in the body, expressing itself via cankers. Too much acid. Here's what to do when you feel a canker coming on, or when you have them already....
Check your toothpaste. It often causes cankers and imbalances. Go down to the drugstore and get Rembrandt's tooth paste for cankers. Always keep it in the house and switch to it immediately when you feel a canker coming on. It's not that it does anything FOR the canker, it's just that they've removed the crap that causes cankers.
Immediately modify your diet also. Sorry, but you want BLAND food that will stop stimulating your canker. Here's what you MUST stay away from: anything with citrus, coffee, chocolate, spicy food, salts and peppers, milk and dairy (terrible for cankers) --- and sugar! If you have this stuff you'll instantly be able to feel it eat into your canker and start causing pain. Stay away from it until the canker is gone. Oh, and alcohol - especially WINE. Staying away from these things will help immensely and quickly.
It helps to take a pain reliever to get rid of the pain and give yourself a break for a bit.
And here's the other thing. I find I get cankers when my body is run down and I've been forgetting to take my vitamins. My body slowly goes into imbalance and cankers rise to the occasion. Be rigorous about taking vitamins! Especially a B complex which will help with stress (stress also contributes to cankers). Search online for a good liquid vitamin. I've found one easy to take, fast and effective for absorption by the body.
The last thing is that if you want extra help in addition to the Goldenseal use the Aspirin method mentioned above. It works. I think it helps to get rid of the astringent imbalance in the mouth. Grind some real aspirin (doesn't have to be baby aspirin) with a spoon on the counter. Lick the tip of your finger and dip it in the powder. Lay it on the canker and cover the canker with the powder. Keep in mouth for about 1/2 hour or so. It really works.
Enjoy the relief of this program folks.
Manuka Honey
Posted by Corinna (London, Kent, England) on 02/05/2010
★★★★★
I sometimes get very painful mouth ulcers. I simply put a bit of manuka honey on it and they disappear within a day or two.
Wasabi
Posted by Stargene (Ben Lomond, Ca) on 01/30/2010
★★★★★
For decades I'd suffered from canker sores (aka: aphthous ulcers) inside my mouth. A dental study of Japanese communities revealed that their low dental plaque was due to compounds called isothiocyanates in wasabi, the green radish paste. Since that time, 12 years ago, I have not had a SINGLE canker sore, even though I still abrade my mouth, gum and inner lips as much as ever, because every day I brush my teeth using ~1 part wasabi to ~3-4 parts toothpaste, ANY toothpaste.
The wasabi actually inhibits bacteria from attaching to mouth surfaces using their plaque! This is an actual preventive which works.
Cloves
Posted by Chriswar666 (25 Y/o) (Rio De Janeiro, Brasil) on 01/27/2010
★★★★★
Cloves also worked for me, at least in eliminating the pain. I got one whole and chewed it, alleviated for a while (half an hour or more). I don't get ulcers that often, so I can't judge if it helped speed the healing, but it definitely helped the pain! Ginger also has the same effect :)
Goldenseal
Posted by Diana (St. Charles, Mo, USA) on 01/13/2010
★★★★★
I wanted to pass along some information for those that suffer from frequent canker sores. My granddaughter get's canker sores all of the time. It seems she gets a couple and just about gets those healed and there's another outbreak in her mouth. At times they are so bad that she can't talk and has trouble eating/chewing. I've researched this for years as well as talk to her dentist, her pediatrician and tried different rememdies. The first thing I did was take her off regular toothpaste and have her start using a natural toothpaste without SLS and that seemed to help only slightly. I've continued researching and having her try different rememdies. I think we've finally found the "magic bullet". I'd read that Goldenseal Root was great for healing canker sores. Buy the tincture (liquid) and apply it directly to the sore with a Q-tip. She noticed immediate relief with the pain and the sore healed very quickly. She also had a new one that hadn't fully developed, but she knew that in the next day or two it would be a full blown canker sore, so she started applying Goldenseal Root to that as well and by the very next day it was completely gone!
When I went to the local health food store to buy the Goldenseal Root, the clerk told me that alot of times mouth sores are caused because there's a problem in the intestines and she advised me to get a good probiotic and have my granddaughter take it daily. She started a daily regimine of a good probiotic first thing in the morning about 30 minutes before breakfast, then dabbing the sores a minimum of 3 times a day. Her outbreaks have really slowed down and when she feels one forming she starts this regimine right away and it either stops it in it's tracks or heals them very, very quickly. Just wanted to pass this along to everyone who suffers the same fate as my granddaughter. I know how much she suffered and how badly these things effected her life so I hope that this information will help others as well.
Alum, H2O2, Aspirin
Posted by Susan (Mcloud, Oklahoma, US) on 12/08/2009
THIS was my LAUGH for the day; SO hilarious! Please forgive me for getting my pleasure from your pain...(literally) but talk about DETERMINATION!!! Seriously, only one who has suffered with cold sores can testify to the utter miserableness. I'm THINKING mine might have come from drinking too much orange juice along with 1 or 2 oranges daily w/my 1-2 TBL ACV. I used to be plagued w/them in my younger years quite frequently (inside the mouth is the worst). However, this one is inside my nose and right below it. I'm going to try the SLS free toothpaste and see how that works. This is my first post on this site that I have been lurking on for the last year or so; this is a great place to come for whatever ails you. I appreciate this site and all its contributors. The "posts" AFTER the story were so funny, too.
Avoid Mouthwash
Posted by Kevin (Seattle, Wa) on 11/24/2009
★★★★★
Found out that I kept getting canker sores and versions of thrush from using mouthwashes. If you have c- sores and gargle with off the shelf mouth washes, try stopping for a few days. worked for me.
Ginger
Posted by Casper3047 (Surfers Paradise, Queensland) on 10/25/2009
★★★★★
Having been a long time sufferer of mouth ulcers in which they lasted for 3-5wks and often so bad, eating and talking were almost impossible I seem to have found "my" cure, and I hope it can help someone else. Simply chew and "let soak" with crystalline ginger 3-4 times a day. If you catch them early enough, they just seem to fade away. I haven't tried any other variations such as ginger tea because I like the eating the ginger.
Mustard
Posted by Chris (Sarnia, Ontario) on 10/22/2009
★★★★★
Thank you so so much. In agony for two days with multiple canker sores. Applied mustard. Yes, some initial discomfort. Within two minutes, complete relief. THANK YOU AGAIN:)
Lemon Juice
Posted by Sam (London, Uk) on 08/16/2009
★★★★★
Lemon Juice for Mouth Ulcers:
I've recently had a bit of a fight with ulcers on the back of my throat and roof of my mouth. They are so painful and yet again the doctor can describe nothing to cure them, only a paste to numb them....which in my eyes (as a singer) is not going to do me much help!! I've tried ACV and ginger with no luck, but the last time Cayenne Pepper in Hot water seemed to do the trick but this time neither could help me and they would not budge! I decided to squeeze the juice of a fresh lemon into a cup and gargle with it...BLOW ME DOWN!!!! IT STUNG LIKE HELL and my eyes watered, however I could feel them burning on the roof of my mouth....it felt like they wanted to grow legs and run out of there!!! So 24hours after the lemon juice gargle, the redness has calmed down and they are totally on the mend....next time I am going to add salt to this mixture and burn them right out!! But for now the lemon juice has worked wonders!!
