10 Home remedies to get rid of canker sores and promote healing.

Canker sores are always painful and irritating. But within a few days, it may heal on is own. Also, there are natural remedies to get rid of the ulcer and reduce discomfort.

As well as over-the-counter medications can speed up the healing time, continue reading below to discover 10 tried and tested ways to cure these canker sores.

What is a canker sore?

A canker sore is a small ulcer inside the mouth. You may notice a white or grey with red edges inside your cheeks. These mouth ulcer may also appear in the soft part of your mouth like the tongue, inside the lips, and inside your soft cheeks.

Also, canker sores are also known as recurrent aphthous stomatitis or RAS, and these mouth ulcer may reoccur at any time. Canker sores are not contagious and usually heal on their own in around a week.

Ten ways to get rid of canker sores

Canker sores will heal over time, but there are home remedies to relieve pain, speed up healing, and prevent infection. These include:

1. Apply Over-the-counter gel or patch

Apply over the counter gel or paste to the sore directly to relieve the ulcer from being irritated by your touch and spicy food that you eat. You can also place bandages over the canker sore inside your cheeks to protect the mouth ulcer from irritation.

2. Using a mouth rinse

Using a mouth rinse will help you disinfect the area and soothe the pain. You can buy over-the-counter antiseptic mouth rinse from Amazon to prevent infection and to numb the inside of the mouth. Also, you can use a goldenseal mouth rinse, deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) gargled in warm water and saltwater rinses.

3. Drinking chamomile tea with honey

Chamomile tea mixed with honey serves as antiseptic, helps to soothe canker sore symptoms, including pain. Also, there is now prove that Chamomile and honey can speed up the healing process of canker sores.

Also, you can apply honey directly to a canker sore because of the antiseptic properties or you can combine it with chamomile tea and drink when is cool slightly.

However, you should not replace it completely with your medication.  Brew chamomile herbs in water and use as a mouthwash four to six times daily.

4. Using a saltwater mouth rinse

You can try this natural remedies sea salt mouth rinse along with antiseptic mouth wash to speed up the healing process.

Also, you can use a baking soda mouth rinse. Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda per ½ cup water, and rinse your entire mouth with it.

5. Avoid spicy or acidic foods

You should try to avoid any food that may trigger canker sores like too acidic and salty food that may delay healing. Even hot food and drinks with rough edges, such as a piece of toast, might cause trouble.

6. Apply aloe vera gel

You can apply aloe vera gel directly to the canker sore may help to soothe irritation, as well as reduce pain and inflammation. Aloe vera gel is considered safe by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).

7. Using ice park to Numb the mouth

Apply a cold ice pack to the canker sore or suck on ice chips to relieve some pain and discomfort, as the cold will numb the feeling. You should allow the ice cube to melt a bit before applying it directly to the mouth ulcer. 

8. Making a clove oil rinse

Clove oil has been used for so many years to soothe the pain. You can use clove oil as a remedy by rinsing the mouth first with a sea salt solution or mouthwash, then applying cotton wool soaked in clove oil to the canker sore to numb the pain.

9. Practice good oral hygiene

Brush your mouth with a soft toothbrush and be careful not to touch the sores so that the area heal quickly.

Practicing dental hygiene with a soft toothbrush can help you avoid irritation on the canker sores. Also, Maintaining good oral hygiene by keeping teeth and gums clean can prevent ulcers from becoming infected.

10. Taking vitamin B-12 supplements

Vitamin B-12 supports normal functioning of the brain and nervous system and has an important part to play in the creation of red blood cells.

A small study found that taking a vitamin B-12 supplement reduced the amount of pain from the canker sores, the number of outbreaks, and the number of ulcers experienced in a month.

Canker sores Causes

You can develop Single mouth ulcer if you damage inside of your mouth, such as by biting it accidentally or having a poorly fitting denture. 

Canker sores occur differently in each individual because in some people the ulcer occurs frequently and may not always have a clear cause.

Some people get canker sores once in a lifetime, while others do not get them at all. Risk factors for recurrent canker sores may include a weakened immune system, stress, or an allergy to a certain food.

The American Academy of Oral Medicine recommends that someone with recurrent canker sores should keep a record of when they happen and any possible triggers. This may help to pinpoint whether there are links between an outbreak of canker sores and diet or lifestyle.

 Symptoms of Canker sores

In some cases, canker sores can be a sign of an underlying condition, including gastrointestinal diseases. 

Common symptoms of canker sores include the following:

• A burning, tingling, or prickling sensation, up to 24 hours before the sore appears
• Crater-like ulcers that are white, gray, or yellow in color, with a red border
• Sores are usually painful
• Difficulty speaking, eating or swallowing

If someone has any of the following symptoms, they should talk to a doctor:

• unexplained tiredness for more than a few days
• a rash or sore on another part of the body
• a fever
• irritated eyes
• stomach pain
• Thrush infection in your mouth or throat
• Lossing weight
• Swollen lymph nodes

If canker sores become particularly red and painful, this could be a sign of infection.

Canker sores treatment

Several oral medications may help ease symptoms of canker sores.

• Over-the-counter pain medications such as ibuprofen (Advil), acetaminophen (Tylenol), or naproxen(Aleve) can be used to help with discomfort from sores.
• Zinc lozenges or vitamins B and C may also help relieve symptoms of Mouth ulcer.

Takeaway

Canker sores are always painful and they are not a friendly situation, especially if it occurs all the time. You have to keep track of what causes it and why it happens, these might give you a clue on how to get rid of the ulcer completely. 

Avoid what might trigger it try a variety of home remedies and over-the-counter liquids to ease pain and discomfort. If you have this over-the-counter solution and some natural remedies that I mention earlier in your closet mean that ulcers and canker sores can be tackled as soon as they appear.

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Isreal Olabanji DST RN

Isreal olabanji a dental assistant and public health professionals and has years of experience in assisting the dentist with all sorts of dental issues.

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