100 Ways to Soothe a Canker Sore
October 9, 2012 by alysha
A few days ago my small daughter woke up in so much pain, and she was holding her mouth. She barely let us touch it, but she finally let us look, we saw an ugly canker sore right in between her gums and her lip. 
She was just plain miserable. She didn’t want to eat anything or do anything. I’ve had canker sores before, so I know how much those suckers hurt.
I wasn’t sure what to do, so I asked the question on our Facebook page, and received SO MANY soothing remedies in minutes!
and some more that caught my eye…
Rachael G. says, “I get them all the time, warm salt water for the pain and then dab it with some hydrogen peroxide on a qtip. Before bed make a paste out of baking soda and water and use it on the sore. It helps it heal quicker.”
Kim D. says, ”Alum. Put it on a q-tip. Tastes terrible though.”
Rhonda G. says, “B12 works if you hold them on the sore, and cinnamon candy works really well when you hold it on the sore also.”
Lauralee A. says, “Coconut oil. And it won’t burn when you put it on it.”
Rachel M. says, “This is reeaallllly gross…but earwax. It’s in my natural home remedies book….”
Kimberlee W. says, “Melaleuca essential oil, you can dilute it with salt water and have her gargle. Little gross but it works great.”
Brenda M. says, “You can put sone children’s nighttime Orajel on it to numb it. This doesn’t heal it, but dulls the pain. I have found that tea tree oil/melaleuca heals them quick…”
You can read over 100 soothing remedies HERE.
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A lot of these I hadn’t even heard of! They were so helpful and useful, I had to share them with all of you. Hopefully they can help you too. Please add what has worked for you in the comments as well!
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Awesome! I woke up with one this morning, how did you know?? Trying some of these NOW.
Awesome list. Pinning!
Thank you! I was just looking for that list!
Ugh, canker sores are the worst! I can attest that the salt water rinses and the alum powder both work. But the cinnamon candy? I’d be careful with that one. I’m allergic to the cinnamon flavoring and that makes me break out in cankers! lol And the ear wax, um ewwwww! Definitely made me laugh though!
Great suggestions. I also like bee propolis. Loaded with nutrients, takes away the pain and helps promote healing. If you get them frequently, stop using toothpaste with sodium laurel sulfate and switch to one like Tom’s of Maine (only certain formulas) or Jason’s Powersmile.
My dad was a doctor, so he had silver nitrate-tipped applicators to cauterize my canker sores. One touch, and it was over, but hurts so much that I wouldn’t often tell him that I had a sore. Now I wish I knew how to get some silver nitrate-tipped applicators. I’m 70, and all of a sudden I’m getting them again after many years of never having one.
You can get them from online pet supply stores like
http://petsupplies.nextdaypets.com/buy/Silver-Nitrate-Stick~15388/
Start using a toothpaste that is free of Sodium Laurel Sulfates (SLS). Some brands are Jason, Toms of Maine, Rembrandt, and many more. The easiest place to get some in off Amazon.com. I used to suffer from one or two a month and haven’t had one in over a year. I found this info on this site during one of many online searches for relief! http://www.acankersorecure.com/cure-for-canker-sores.html
The BEST (and almost immediate) remedy is crushed aspirin mixed with a tiny bit of water to make a paste. Put it on for NO longer than 5 minutes (otherwise you get an aspirin burn) then rinse off. It numbs the pain for almost a whole day even while eating, and it heals the sore, too. Usually mine go away within one or two days instead of 7-10.
I worked for many years in the dental field and I have found that most people who are prone to getting canker sores have particularly acidic saliva. Neutralizing this acid is the key. Rinse your mounth with antacid or if you can find the soft, chewy antacids (Tempo is one brand), place a piece of this right on the canker sore and you will see it will feel much better and heal quickly.
I didn’t read down the whole list, but a friend of mine who was a naturalist told me 20 years ago that when you get a canker sore your body is low on lecithin. It’s a soybean product that I find in the vitamin aisle. I haven’t had a canker sore in 20 years. I did a lot of baking using lecithin granules instead of fat or oils. I do not bake like I used to, but when my kids get a rare canker sore they take a couple of the tablets and they are gone in a day or two.
http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/canker_sores_questions.html
As soon as I feel one coming on, I pour some hydrogen peroxide on it. Tastes gross, but kills it before it gets bad!