Some people are troubled frequently with canker sores, while other rarely experience them. Unlike cold sores, which are caused by the herpes simplex 1 virus (HSV-1), canker sores are not known to be caused by a pathogen. Instead, they seem most frequently to be a response to trauma, such as biting the cheek or accidentally scratching the lining of the mouth with a toothbrush.
How Can You Make Canker Sores Disappear?
Sometimes, canker sores simply appear without any apparent cause. Then the question is how to get rid of them more quickly. Readers have come up with several ingenious solutions to this problem.
Q. I’ve gotten immediate relief from canker sores by dabbing on milk of magnesia. I had one starting on the inside of my lip and dabbed on the MoM. It disappeared completely overnight. Who knew?
A. The cause of canker sores remains mysterious. The medical term is aphthous ulcer. Unlike cold sores, canker sores occur in the lining of the mouth rather than on the lips. Biting your cheek or scratching your mouth with a sharp potato chip or pretzel can sometimes trigger a lesion.
Milk of Magnesia to Make Canker Sores Disappear:
We were surprised to find that there is a recommendation for using milk of magnesia (MoM) on canker sores in the U.S. National Library of Medicine (MedlinePlus) resource. Other suggestions from this official database include rinsing the area with salt water or applying a mixture of half hydrogen peroxide and half water with a cotton swab to the canker sore before dabbing on MoM.
Other Remedies for Canker Sores:
Readers of the People’s Pharmacy have reported that eating kiwi fruit or green beans can make canker sores disappear. Others find that swishing sauerkraut juice around in the mouth helps the pain and speeds healing. Some people find that rinsing the mouth with a baking soda solution or with Pepto-Bismol helps canker sores heal more quickly.
Many canker sore sufferers recommend avoiding toothpaste containing sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) as a way of preventing these painful mouth lesions.
If you have a favorite remedy against canker sores, share it in the comments where you are invited to add your thoughts.
