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Canker Sores

Home Remedies for Canker Sores

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Canker sores, also called as aphthous stomatitis or recurrent aphthous ulcers are very common and painful recurrent lesions of the oral mucous membrane. They are usually seen on the inner lining of the cheeks, tongue, lips and the base of the gums. Don’t get confused with cold sores. Here are some home remedies for your canker sore that you may wish to try.

Home remedies for canker sores

  • Rinse your mouth with normal salt water or baking soda.
  • Use mouth wash containing Chlorhexidine gluconate, they are effective and safe.
  • Mix equal parts of Milk of Magnesia and Benadryl and hold the mixture in your mouth for 5 minutes and split it out, it will soothe your pain.
  • Mix equal part of hydrogen peroxide and water. Apply the mixture directly to the canker sore using cotton swap.
  • Apply small amount of Milk of Magnesia on the canker sore for 3 to 4 times a day. This will help soothe the pain and quicker healing.
  • Applying ice to your canker sores may also help soothing the pain.
  • If pain is severe one teaspoonful of Lidocaine 2% solution can be kept in the mouth for several minutes. Other topical anesthetics like dyclonine hydrochloride 0.5% can also be applied to the lesion.
  • Several numbing ointments and liquids are available over the counter containing benzocaine (Tanac, oragen, orabase, anbesol) which will help relieve the pain of canker sores. Remember not to overuse the products, follow the leaflet to avoid toxicity.
  • Taking multivitamins with iron may help if your canker sores are due to vitamins or iron deficiency.
  • Avoid hot and spicy foods that may irritate your lesion further.
  • Avoid hard and sharp foods that may further irritate the existing ulcers.
  • Avoid tobacco and alcohol

If your condition is severe, you may consult your doctor. He may prescribe you some anti-inflammatory medicines like mild to moderate topical corticosteroid accordingly.

Distinguishing Cold Sores and Canker Sores

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Cold sores and canker sores share some physical characteristics so many of you might be confused resulting you to use inappropriate treatments or remedies which may reflect on its outcome. So it is necessary to differentiate between these two conditions. In this article we have tried to summarize some features of each so you can distinguish between these two conditions.

Distinguishing Cold Sores and Canker Sores

Location: Cold sores are primarily located outside the mouth (may also be seen inside mouth in immuno-compromised people), while canker sores are usually located inside the mouth, usually inner lining of the cheeks, tongue, lips and the base of the gums.

Frequency: Cold sores occur as multiple blisters, while canker sores may occur as a single or in small groups. Both have tendency to recur.

Appearance: Cold sores have fluid filled blisters surrounded by a red halo, while canker sore have large sallow round ulcer without blistering and surrounded by erythematosus halos.

Halitosis: Cold sores are associated with bad breath, while canker sores are not usually associated with bad breath (in case of canker sores due to bacterial or fungal infection, bad breath may be present).

Fever: Cold sores may be associated with fever, while canker sores are not generally associated with fever until it’s due to some systemic infection.

Association: Cold sores may be associated with swollen neck glands, while canker sores are generally not associated with swollen neck glands.

Note: The symptoms like fever and swollen glands are less likely to present in every individuals. However absence of these symptoms doesn’t exclude the disease.

Contagious: Cold sores are exclusively caused by herpes simplex virus type-1 and 2 and are highly contagious, while canker sore may be caused by either bacterial or may be due to the result of underlying hematological abnormalities or gastrointestinal disorders. Canker sores are not contagious.

Pain: In both of the cases of cold sores and canker sore, lesions may be painful.

Here are few home remedies for cold sores and canker sores

Home Remedies for Cold Sores


Home Remedies for Canker Sores

Canker Sore – Causes and Remedies

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What is Canker Sore?

Canker sore or aphthous stomatitis is a painful recurrent disease of oral mucous membrane. They are usually seen on the inner lining of the cheeks, tongue, lips and the base of the gums.

What Causes Canker Sores?

The true cause of canker sores is not clear. Genetic studies show that it is inherited in about one third of the patients. About 10-20% of the cases are due to underlying hematological abnormality such as low serum iron or ferritin, or deficiency of folate or vitamin B12. About 3% of the cases are due to gastrointestinal malabsorption and coeliac disease.

Other triggering factors include trauma (toothbrush injury, self biting, and dental procedures), sodium lauryl sulfate containing toothpaste, stress, spicy foods, citrus, medications allergy, hormonal changes in women, and sometimes cessation of smoking.

Canker sores may also be the oral manifestation of a number of systemic diseases including acute HIV infection, Behçet disease, sweet’s syndrome, cyclic neutropenia, Systemic lupus erythematosus and other immunodeficiencies.

Unlike cold sores which are caused due to herpes simplex virus, canker sores are not associated with herpes simplex virus infection.

Three clinical presentations are usually observed which are as listed below:

Minor sores: They accounts for almost 90-95% of the total canker sores and cause minimal symptoms. They present as few (1-6), small (2-4 mm in diameter) sallow ulcers. They resolve within 7-10 days without scarring and recur at variable interval

Major sores: They accounts for 5-10 % of all the sores and are painful. They present as few, large (1-3 cm) deep ulcers. They usually resolve within 2-6 weeks and may result in scarring.

Herpetiform ulcers: They accounts for 1-5% of all the canker sores and are extremely painful and recur very frequently. They present as cluster of multiple (1-100) small (1-3 mm diameter) shallow ulcers. They usually resolve within 7-10 days.

Are Canker Sores Contagious?
Unlike cold sores which are highly contagious, canker sores are not contagious, but they tend to run in families.

canker sore
canker sore

Canker Sore Treatment

Treatment is usually not required as ulcer heals by themselves. For recurrent ulcers there is no permanent cure. The initial step in canker sores treatment is to correct the triggering factors. If it is due to spicy food or food allergy it should be excluded from the diet. If it is due to zinc, folate or vitamin B12 deficiency it should be corrected. Good oral hygiene should be maintained. Mouth wash containing chlorhexidine or triclosan can be bought at any stores, this will help maintain oral hygiene and reduce the duration of ulcer.

Canker Sore Remedies

  • Rinse your mouth with normal salt water or baking soda.
  • Mix equal parts of Milk of Magnesia and Benadryl and hold the mixture in your mouth for 5 minutes and split it out, it will soothe your pain.
  • Mix equal part of hydrogen peroxide and water. Apply the mixture directly to the canker sore using cotton swap.
  • Apply small amount of Milk of Magnesia on the canker sore for 3 to 4 times a day. This will help soothe the pain and quicker healing.
  • Applying ice to your canker sores may also help soothing the pain.
  • If pain is severe one teaspoonful of Lidocaine 2% solution can be kept in the mouth for several minutes. Other topical anesthetics like dyclonine hydrochloride 0.5% can also be applied to the lesion.
  • If your condition is severe, you may consult your doctor. He may prescribe you some anti-inflammatory medicines like mild to moderate topical corticosteroid accordingly.