anyone suffer from canker sores?

[granny64]

I used to have them all of the time...three at a time, and no sooner than they would go away(after about 2 weeks)..more came.Some dear person told me to get Biotene toothpaste and no more canker sores. Just about all of the other toothpastes have SLS(sodium laurel sulfate )in them. This is a cleaner used on floors. Biotene is much milder than regular toothpastes. Sensodyne makes one too, but they carry about 4 other kinds,too. These toothpastes are around $4 a tube, but well worth it.

Hope this helps someone.

[Cindy in NY]

Another simple solution is to use a Q-tip to wipe the canker sore with peroxide. Once you keep it clean, it clears up quickly. If you have a lot, you can use peroxide as a rinse.

[Oggie]

I used to pack canker sores with baking soda and do a little dance.

It usually quickly cleared them up.

[unregistered29228]

A friend of mine works for a natural supplement company, and she told me that's caused by a low immune system. She recommended probiotics, like in some yogurts, or by capsule. I hardly ever get a canker sore but oh boy they do hurt! The last one I had, I used really strong salt water (and also did a little dance) and swished it several times a day. I also rubbed it with my finger to open it the first time. Owie!

[buslady]

Someone told me to try Lysene pills. They are in the vitamin department, and for us, they really work. Start taking them when you feel them coming on, and take for two or three days according to directions. I ususally take them at least once a year, and I havn't had a canker sore for years.

[Metagirrl]

My favorite remedy was passed down from my father.

Brush your teeth, then take your toothbrush, and scrub the canker. Really scrub. It'll hurt like the dickens.... You'll cry. Keep brushing. Then it'll stop hurting. Keep brushing. Brush until it bleeds, then brush a little longer. Next morning, it'll feel great!

Now, I don't know if the debridement is really helping to heal the sore- or, if it's just that once you've hurt it so bad, it pales in comparison to the brushing episode.

Try it... it works.

[MorrisonCorner]

Oh eek! Peroxide kills good tissue as well as bad and should not be used in your mouth!

I had canker sores for years.. and while there may be a chemical element to other people's sores, in my case it turned out to be mechanical. I was biting the inside of my cheeks in my sleep because my teeth didn't mesh together properly.

One of the side effects I noticed immediately when I got braces is the canker sores cleared up. My dentist took a good look in my mouth and recognized that the braces were pushing my teeth in, and the cheek tissue out, so I wasn't biting the inside of my mouth. I now use a mouth guard at night: no more sores.

Oh YAY because they really are painful!

[Cindy in NY]

Originally Posted by buslady

Someone told me to try Lysene pills. They are in the vitamin department, and for us, they really work. Start taking them when you feel them coming on, and take for two or three days according to directions. I ususally take them at least once a year, and I havn't had a canker sore for years.

I think you are thinking about cold sores / fever blisters. You can feel these coming on and yes, the Lysene taken early enough can usually prevent them. I don't think they would help canker sores - sores in the mouth.

Originally Posted by MorrisonCorner

Oh eek! Peroxide kills good tissue as well as bad and should not be used in your mouth!

On the outside of the peroxide bottle it has always stated "Oral Rinse". If you are concerned about killing good tissue, then just use it on the canker sore with a Q-tip. You will feel immediate relief.

[BeagleMommy]

I have had good results with Lysine and canker sores as well as Lysine for cold sores. For me the SLS in the toothpaste wasn't enough to cause cankers sores, but it sure did irritate them and make them take forever to heal. It was just another reason to stop using toothpaste, IMO.
Salt or baking soda or salt, pepper, and clove powder are all good subs for toothpaste.
One note about the salt, pepper, and cloves- it will stain your toothbrush and until you rinse you will look like you have been eating dirt. It feels fresh and clean, though.
Just plain, old homemade soap works well, too and can get rid of tooth sensitivity (for me at least).

[ZMTmom]

You guys are good!! Lysine supplements definitely help with canker sores(aphthous ulcers), as does switching to Biotene or Rembrandt toothpaste. It's a dormant Herpes Simplex I virus, pops up when your body senses "stress"(which could be emotional, illness, nutritional, or mechanical). They're really like colds...treat it,it goes away in 7 days..do nothing, and it takes a week.

[4Hmomwyo]

I have always dabbed a little bit of alum powder on mine--tastes yucky, works great!

[missourimelodie]

I also use alum. It burns for a second and then I think it cauterizes it. They are usually gone or on their way out the next day. I seem to bite my lip or cheek pretty often and this was more effective than anything else I tried. Rinsing my mouth with water after drinking soda or OJ also helps, sometime I think it's just a high acid thing.

[Jennifer L.]

Originally Posted by Cindy in NY

I think you are thinking about cold sores / fever blisters. You can feel these coming on and yes, the Lysene taken early enough can usually prevent them. I don't think they would help canker sores - sores in the mouth.

Yes, it does. Lysine is good stuff. When I get a canker sore I start taking a gram of lysine two or three times a day for a few days. It will turn things around and in a few days the canker is gone. It's not instantaneous, though.

My mother grew up using alum and I used it for years. It pickles the surface of the wound and allows it to heal up.

Canker sores are miserable! You inherit them from your mother, btw. They are caused by a virus, if I remember it right. It gets transferred to you as a baby during feeding.

Mine crop up if I eat too much sugar.

Jennifer

[Cindy in NY]

I never get any warning about canker sores so had never considered Lysene to do anything for them. If I do get a warning, I will try them next time. The peroxide has always been immediately affective for me. It also works to heal spots where you have bitten the inside of your mouth.

[pookiethebear]

We used to get them as kids (me and my brother) we used to use a product called glyoxcy. It was a mouth rinse. I don't think they make it any more. It used to work very well.

[Mysticdream44]

I get them and I put some salt on them to kill them, it hurts like the dickens and I always do a little dance when I do it, but after a couple of minutes that goes away and so does the soreness and the canker sore.

[4Hmomwyo]

They can also crop up with hormonal changes, like the ones that come monthly.

[MN Gardener]

I have had really nasty canker sores almost all my life. Once I went to the dentist for what I though was a really bad tooth and he found a canker sore the size of a nickel. He had never seen one so big. He had me switch to Sensodyne toothpaste and pick up some Debacterol. Which you dab on the canker sore a few time and it is instantly gone(seriously). I guess it cauterizes the sore. It was the only thing that would take care of my canker sores and I had tried all the methods everyone above used. If someone has severe canker sores I would suggest trying all the methods above and if it does not work get the Debacterol. It was kind of expensive ($30 for a very small bottle 5 years ago) but it lasts for years. My Walmart use to carry it but they can not get it anymore. I am hoping I can find it somewhere because I am all out!

Also, the Sensodyne toothpaste works great too. I haven't had a canker sore in a very long time.

[Marcia in MT]

I've also used salt on the wound (with the accompanying song and dance!). I've used hydrogen peroxide rinse, too. Both work for me.

I've found that stress caused my canker sore flare-ups. Once the stress is reduced, the sores stop coming.

[unregistered29228]

Originally Posted by MN Gardener

If someone has severe canker sores I would suggest trying all the methods above and if it does not work get the Debacterol. It was kind of expensive ($30 for a very small bottle 5 years ago) but it lasts for years. My Walmart use to carry it but they can not get it anymore. I am hoping I can find it somewhere because I am all out!

The website says it's prescription only, so maybe you can get your dentist to write you an Rx for it!

http://www.debacterol.com/ordering.html