How to Treat Canker Sores

By eHow Health Editor

Rate: (17 Ratings)

These painful sores inside the mouth may be triggered by stress, injury, nutritional deficiencies, menstruation or genetic factors. They usually clear up in one to two weeks.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Anesthetics
Antibiotic Creams
Electric Toothbrushes
Extra-soft Toothbrushes
Mouthwash
Toothpaste

Step1

Avoid hot and spicy foods, which can irritate canker sores.

Step2

Brush your teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush to lessen aggravation.

Step3

Apply crushed ice or an over-the-counter oral anesthetic to the sore to numb the pain.

Step4

Practice good oral hygiene. Rinse with mouthwash or salt water, and try brushing with a toothpaste free of sodium laurel sulfate, which has been implicated in aggravating canker sores.

Step5

Consult a doctor if sores persist longer than two weeks, recur more than two or three times a year, are extremely painful, or occur with other symptoms, such as fever, diarrhea or skin rash.

Step6

Talk to your doctor about treating the sores with oral or topical steroids or oral antibiotics.

Tips & Warnings

This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.

Comments

eyeopening said

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on 6/9/2008 Excellent article! Very well done.

on 4/27/2008 As a child I was constantly battling canker sores. Add braces and you have a kid with a perpetually painful mouth. I read somewhere that placing a REAL aspirin on the canker sore until the aspirin dissolved, then spitting it out, would help cure a canker sore. I tried it and I swear that canker sore was GONE, GONE, GONE, BABY GONE by the next day! Since then my canker sore outbreaks have decreased significantly but when I do get the first sign of one I pop an aspirin on it. It's almost like magic!