Understanding Canker Sores: Causes, Treatments, and Prevention

What causes a canker sore? What is the fastest way to cure a mouth ulcer? What is the best medication for canker sores? Does salt help canker sores?” These are probably questions we’ve asked at one point. Don’t worry, parents, here is some information you should know about these annoying and painful spots in your mouth, along with some tips to avoid them.

What Causes a Canker Sore

A canker sore is a lesion or wound inside the mouth. It is usually round or oval-shaped and can be white or yellow with a red border around it.

This is different from cold sores, which are a primary symptom of the herpes simplex virus or HSV. Canker sores only develop inside the mouth, such as on the inside of our lips and cheeks, on our gums, or under and on top of our tongue. In contrast, cold sores appear on the outside or around our mouths.

There is no exact known cause for canker sores, but studies suggest they might be triggered by various factors, including:

• Minor injuries in the mouth from dental work, brushing too hard, or sports accidents
• Using toothpaste or mouthwash containing sodium lauryl sulfate
• Food sensitivities or allergic reactions to foods like chocolate, coffee, strawberries, eggs, nuts, and cheese, as well as spicy or acidic foods
• Emotional stress is also linked to canker sores
• Lack of vitamins like B-12, zinc, folate, or iron in the body
• A bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, which causes peptic ulcers
• Hormonal changes during menstruation in women
• Serious diseases like celiac disease, a serious intestinal disorder caused by a reaction to gluten
• Symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
• Behcet’s disease, a disorder causing inflammation throughout the body
• HIV/AIDS, which weakens the immune system
• It could also be hereditary.

Can kids get canker sores?

Children can definitely get canker sores, just like adults. These little sores inside the mouth can make eating and talking uncomfortable for them.

Treatment and Home Remedies for Canker Sores

Although painful and disruptive to eating and speaking, canker sores are not contagious and usually heal on their own within one or two weeks.

Recommended ways to naturally treat or relieve the pain include:

• Rinsing with warm saltwater or baking soda

Can salt help with canker sores?

Although applying salt directly to a canker sore can worsen the pain, rinsing with a saltwater solution can accelerate healing by drying out the sore. Simply dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a half-cup of warm water. Swish the solution in your mouth for up to 30 seconds, then spit it out. For additional relief, you can also make a paste by mixing a small amount of baking soda with water and applying it directly to the sore.

• Applying milk of magnesia repeatedly throughout the day
• Avoiding spicy or acidic foods to prevent worsening the pain
• Placing ice on the sore or sucking on a small ice cube
• Brushing gently using a soft brush and toothpaste without foaming agents.

If canker sores do not heal with these methods, it is advisable to consult a doctor, especially if the sores are large, recurrent, take more than two weeks to heal, cause severe difficulty in eating or speaking, or are accompanied by fever. The doctor might prescribe medications to ease discomfort and help heal the sores, but a blood test may be necessary first to determine the underlying cause.

Can toothpaste treat canker sores?

The answer is NO. Experts advise that people with canker sores should avoid using toothpaste on the sore area as it can worsen or trigger more sores.

How to Prevent Canker Sores

Here are some tips to prevent canker sores from popping up in your mouth:

• Avoid foods that might cause irritation or to which you are sensitive or allergic.
• Eat nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables to avoid nutritional deficiencies.
• Maintain good oral hygiene habits, regularly brush and floss your teeth, use a soft-bristled toothbrush, and avoid toothpaste containing sodium lauryl sulfate.
• If you wear braces or other dental appliances, ask your doctor about orthodontic wax to cover sharp edges that may cause sores.
• Avoid stress with techniques like meditation.

When to Seek Help

As mentioned earlier, seek a doctor’s help with your canker sore if:

• The canker sore is unusually large.
• It reaches the area near the lips.
• Another sore appears before the previous one has healed.
• Pain persists despite self-care measures.
• There is difficulty drinking or eating.
• You have a fever while having a canker sore.

Canker sores, although uncomfortable, are generally harmless and tend to heal on their own within a week or two. Understanding the symptoms and potential causes can help you manage and possibly prevent these painful spots in your mouth.

Simple home remedies can offer relief. However, if you notice persistent, unusually large sores, or if they are accompanied by other severe symptoms, it is important to consult a healthcare provider. Remember, managing stress and maintaining good oral hygiene can also help in preventing these bothersome ulcers.

Translated with permission from theAsianparent Philippines. 

Here at theAsianparent Singapore, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Singapore is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.