Can Homemade Treatments Work for Canker Sores?

Most outbreaks of canker sores, those painful little sores on the inside of your mouth or the underside of your tongue, aren't serious enough to need a doctor. (Don't confuse them with cold sores, caused by a strain of the herpes virus, and very contagious!) Canker sores are painful, and they may last a week or more, so you may not want to do nothing. But what can you do at home?

Plenty, actually. For starters, try an over-the-counter pain medicine, like acetominophen (for example, Tylenol^TM) or ibuprofen ( Advil^TM). You may want to invest in a gel that you put directly on the canker sore, or sores. Some of these include Anbesol^TM and Orajel^TM. A coating of one of those can help cover the canker sore and protect them from food, drink, and toothpaste. Don't stop brushing your teeth, though, as the bacteria you remove when you do brush your teeth can make the canker sore worse if you leave it in place. Just be sure to use a soft bristle brush, and try to avoid direct contact between the brush and the canker sore.

Another simple but effective remedy is to mix Milk of Magnesia^TM and the liquid form of Benedryl in equal amounts. Every four hours or so, swish about a teaspoonful around your mouth for about a minute, then spit it out. This may reduce the pain of the canker sores. If you don't have liquid Benedryl^TM, simple Milk of Magnesia^TM or Pepto-Bismol^TM can be swished for help. Liquid antacids, like gels, can help keep bacteria away from the canker sore so it can heal faster.

You may want to try using zinc lozenges, or zinc and vitamin C lozenges. Take extra vitamin C and B complex supplements. In fact, if you visit a doctor she may recommend them if you seem low in those nutrients. Probiotics, like the acidophilus found in yogurt, can help ease the pain of canker sores, too.

Something as simple as rinsing with warm salt water can make canker sores feel better. A rinse of hydrogen peroxide and water will also help kill the bacteria that cause the canker sore as well as help the pain; use it several times a day to speed healing. The tannin in black tea can help too; it's even found in several over-the-counter canker sore remedies. Just wet a tea bag thoroughly, and hold it against the canker sore.

If you have big canker sores, or especially painful canker sores, and they are still causing problems after ten days to two weeks, it's time to see the doctor. At that point, the home remedies may have done all they can, and only a medical remedy can ease your pain and kill the infection that's causing it.

(Sources: http://www.moms-blog/general-health-concerns/mouth-teeth/home-remedies-canker-sores/ ; http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/canker-sore/DS00354 ; http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/articles/613.html )