
If you want to hasten the healing, and get back to enjoying life faster, there are some simple home remedies that could help. But that is little consolation when you’re struggling to enjoy your meals or morning cup of coffee, because of discomfort caused by a canker sore. Fortunately most will go away on their own and don’t require a visit to the preventive dentist or doctor. 27, 2015.Stop Struggling with a Canker Sore Through Simple Home RemediesĬanker sores may not be as visible or embarrassing as cold sores, but they can still be quite painful. Journal of Clinical Experimental Dentistry. Treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis: A literature review. Oral mucosal diseases: Evaluation and management. American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology.

Have you been diagnosed with any other medical conditions?.Have you recently experienced significant stress or major life changes?.Have you been treated for similar sores in the past? If so, what treatment was most effective?.Have you had similar sores in the past? If so, have you noticed if anything in particular seemed to trigger them?.When did you first notice these symptoms?.What to expect from your doctor or dentistīe ready to answer questions from your doctor or dentist, such as: Is there anything I can do to help prevent a recurrence?ĭon't hesitate to ask any other questions during your appointment.How soon do you expect my symptoms will improve?.Is there anything I can do to speed up healing?.What self-care steps can I take to ease my symptoms?.What treatment approach do you recommend, if any?.If so, what factors may have contributed to its development? If not, what else could it be?.Questions to ask your doctor or dentist to make your visit more efficient.Key personal information, including any recent changes or emotional stressors in your life.Any other medical conditions, to see if any relate to your symptoms.All your medications, including over-the-counter medications, vitamins or other supplements, and their doses.Your symptoms, including when they first started and how they may have changed or worsened over time.Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment. Your doctor or dentist can diagnose a canker sore based on its appearance. Brush your teeth gently, using a soft brush and foaming-agent-free toothpaste such as Biotene or Sensodyne ProNamel.Apply ice to your canker sores by allowing ice chips to slowly dissolve over the sores.Avoid abrasive, acidic or spicy foods that can cause further irritation and pain.Dab a small amount of milk of magnesia on your canker sore a few times a day.Use salt water or baking soda rinse (dissolve 1 teaspoon of baking soda in 1/2 cup warm water). To help relieve pain and speed healing, consider these tips: If your canker sores relate to a more serious health problem, your doctor will treat the underlying condition. Your doctor may prescribe a nutritional supplement if you consume low amounts of important nutrients, such as folate (folic acid), vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 or zinc. Silver nitrate - another option for chemical cautery of canker sores - hasn't been shown to speed healing, but it may help relieve canker sore pain.By chemically cauterizing canker sores, this medication may reduce healing time to about a week. Debacterol is a topical solution designed to treat canker sores and gum problems.But because of serious side effects, they're usually a last resort.ĭuring cautery, an instrument or chemical substance is used to burn, sear or destroy tissue. Oral steroid medications when severe canker sores don't respond to other treatments.Medications not intended specifically for canker sore treatment, such as the intestinal ulcer treatment sucralfate (Carafate) used as a coating agent and colchicine, which is normally used to treat gout.Oral medications may be used when canker sores are severe or do not respond to topical treatments. Ask your doctor or dentist for advice on which may work best for you. There are many other topical products for canker sores, including those without active ingredients. Hydrogen peroxide (Orajel Antiseptic Mouth Sore Rinse, Peroxyl).Benzocaine (Anbesol, Kank-A, Orabase, Zilactin-B).

Some products have active ingredients, such as: Over-the-counter and prescription products (pastes, creams, gels or liquids) may help relieve pain and speed healing if applied to individual sores as soon as they appear. If you have several canker sores, your doctor may prescribe a mouth rinse containing the steroid dexamethasone (dek-suh-METH-uh-sown) to reduce pain and inflammation or lidocaine to reduce pain.
