Natural Canker Sore Remedies: Quick Relief & Healing

I read a LOT of the suggestions to get rid of canker sores as I get them every once in a while and they are awful. I agree that bacterial cultures and oil pulling can keep the mouth in a healthier state on a daily basis...but a remedy I didn't see anywhere is goldenseal. It can be found at any health food store and sometimes is combined with echinacea. Now this is a natural remedy that should be used sparingly as it could one day be unavailable because of overharvesting... It can be taken in pill form or tincture to boost the immune system in times when it is low but in the case of cankers, using the pill form and opening one of the capsules up and carefully putting the powder on the canker works amazingly to kill the infection. I tried using the tincture and rinsing with it and it just turned my mouth and teeth bright yellow....not cool! so get the pill form for sure... Hope this helps others in pain from those nasty canker sores!

I use probiotics 2 capsules a day to control canker sores. I used to get them from eating any kind of nuts or bread/pastry with nuts. For 2 months now I have been eating the nuts without the canker sores.

SLS-free toothpaste eliminated my canker sores. I was getting numerous canker sores each month, sometimes several at a time.

I tried canker sore gels. They eliminate the pain temporarily but not the sore itself.
I tried baking soda. That seemed to help shorten the duration a bit was very painful for about 5 minutes. Similarly, apple cider vinegar was painful and seemed to cause a slight improvement in symptoms but didn't eliminate the sores.

I tried a pinch of alum, which also stung to apply and really pickled my lips. I coudln't determine whether that helped much either.

Finally, I bought SLS-free toothpaste 6 months ago. I haven't had a full-blown canker sore since! I think 1 or 2 may have thought about starting during that time, but each time they went away without forming or causing pain.

aloe is what did it for me. i have some ingestible pure aloe gel, and put it on there probably 10 times yesterday when I had a nasty canker sore on the underside of my tongue that had been developing already for a few days. I was desperate cuz it was SO painful I could hardly talk. maybe Im a wimp. Anyway, that's all I did and had a good night sleep. Today I hardly feel it at all.

I'm subject to ulcers on the roof of my mouth. I try to avoid prescription meds. I recently discovered that swishing warm salt water in my mouth after brushing was very effective. Bananas are quite effective too. Recently, my gums and roof of my mouth both hurt horribly! Out came the salt water. I'd also read in "You, the owner's manual,"that taking 81mg. baby aspirin is extremely helpful. The problem is nearly gone, and I'm sleeping better, too! I can't ask for more!

I have been using Organic Coconut Oil for 2 years now as a "skin lotion". When I started using it I was 43 and already using a top product for anti-aging. The product had worked some to reduce wrinkles but in just a couple of days the CO worked so much better. now at almost 45 I have very little wrinkles. I use just a little bit on my fingers and spread so thin that no one can tell that I use an oil on my face. My 17 year old daughter uses it also.

I started using the CO for other things and one of the best is on a canker sores. It does not hurt unless you rub it too hard. I had no pain all day and did not have to put more on until bed time. I put a dab of CO on a Q-tip and applied it to the sore.

For whatever reason if you put Mustard directly on your canker sores it burn then the pain is gone. Instant relief. I don't know if it heals anything but it sure feels better for a while and you don't have to run out and buy anything special.

I discovered to use on canker sores Hydrogen Peroxide on my own a few years back. I used it 30 sec per day, everyday, and now I have had one, maybe two canker sores since then. I think the Hydrogen Peroxide interrupts the life cycle of the virus by destroying the infected cells. That was back in 2001!

Good to know. Also, I wanted to add that 2 weeks ago my brother had canker sores in the back of his throat which hurt so bad that a sip of water felt like a knife. He sucked on licorice lozenges from the health food store, and within one to two days the sores were gone.

I have these last couple of months been getting canker sores. I have never had them in my life, but have just started getting them out of the blue. I found this website and i have tried everything on here, all but the baking soda i tried that last. Let me say NONE of the other things worked for me, but oh my gosh the baking soda works wonders!!!!

The pain was very VERY bad and i didn't know what else to do, i even tried over the counter things and they didn't work in anyway, but the baking soda did.I also found the baking soda helps if you have a toothache too, in short baking soda is amazing and i would try it before anything else.

Yes, salt does work....but it hurts like crazy!!!! I get canker sours DAILY.. i try numming it but that doesnt make it go away....salt does...i would not put on a small childs canker though......as i said before..it hurts! i have not tryed baking soda..i will and then i will see if it works! :):)

Turmeric for Canker Sores/Cold Sores

Recently read in Rebecca Wood's "The New Whole Food Encyclopedia" about using turmeric for canker sores. I have low iron which occassionally gives me canker sores so I was searching for a home remedy. Take an 1/8 tsp. of turmeric and just enough drops of water to make a thick paste. Put directly on canker sore before bed and it will be gone by morning. Works well on cold sores too. Beware that turmeric will stain the skin a little (no big deal). I've been referring to this website for years and am glad that I have something to offer back.

I suffered with mouth ulcers for 20 years or more. Recently I realized I wasn't rinsing well after brushing my teeth, and I know that sodium lauryl sulphate in toothpaste is an evil chemical known to cause mouth ulcers. So I decided to rinse my mouth out thoroughly several times (and gargle) with water after brushing. Since I've been doing that I have been free of mouth ulcers. We're talking about months, so I am very pleased.

I've also been eating a lot more omega 3 (in tuna/salmon/lamb). I see some people here recommend flax oil, so that might also be responsible.

I had an annoying and painful canker sore way back on my tongue, too much info..., but searched and found this site, only had distilled white vinegar, gargled twice for one minute twice and the sore really calmed down in 5 minutes, (stinging of course) then the next day gone. Assume apple cider vinegar is effective as well, but have used alum, peroxide, warm salt solution, ambesol and other OTC meds, the vinegar is the best.

I work in a dentist office and whenever I get a horrible canker sore I use Silver Nitrate Sticks. It burns for a little bit but then forms a wet scab over the area. I asked one of the Dentist at the office I work in why this works; and he said he had heard at in a CE class that it's because the canker sore is cause by a virus and the body does not heal the virus it just runs its course, so the Silver Nitrate injures the area, causing the body to heal itself. Although it stings and makes your mouth taste a little like an ashtray for about five minutes, it's totally worth it.

I am age 83. I suffered from canker sores continuously my whole life until 2 years ago when by accident I discovered that I had celiac disease, that is gluten intolerance. Since going on a gluten-free diet I have not had even one canker sore. NADA! Also the acid reflux that I had all my adult life has also almost completely gone away.