The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Silver Nitrate Sticks
Posted by Mary (Houston, Texas) on 04/25/2008
★★★★★
When I underwent chemotherapy, I would also get mouth ulcers. The doctor gave me a prescription for a mouthwash, but it was useless. Rather than suffer for days with mouth ulcers, I decided to cauterize them using silver nitrate sticks. Yes, this is painful but only for seconds as compared to 10 days of daily suffering with mouth ulcers.
Baking Soda
Posted by Shawna (Eugene, oregon) on 01/25/2008
★★★★★
Out of the blue 4 days ago I got a canker sore that was 1.5 inches large on the side of my tongue. It was excruciating! Last night before bed I tried putting a baking soda paste on it and I woke up this morning and it's almost gone! I am so glad I found this website!!!
Toothpaste Without Sls
Posted by Christina (Cambridge, MA) on 01/24/2008
★★★★★
Please please PLEASE try this. It really works. I suffered from multiple outbreaks of canker sores for years and now am down to one or two per year. ____ makes a toothpaste called _____ that is free of the ingredient Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. This ingredient causes canker sores in many. Try this toothpaste, just once (it costs around $7.99 but lasts forever and is well worth it) and you will see a huge difference.
Multivitamins
Posted by Patrick (Salt Lake City, Utah) on 01/18/2008
★★★★★
I have been getting mouth ulcers for as long as I can remember I have tried everything from baking soda to all the products you buy at the store to keep the pain down, witch a lot of them keep the pain down for a short time and they taste nasty so my food taste nasty. the best thing that works for me is a MULTI VITAMIN, I take one a day and I haven't had a mouth ulcer for months.
Salt
Posted by Alexis Carlino (Conway, South Carolina) on 12/20/2007
★★★★★
I occasionally get canker sores every now and then. One day about 6 years ago I asked my grandmother, "grandma do you know how to get rid of a canker sore?!" She told me to either gargle some salt water or dab a little bit of salt directly on the sore. Of course it will burn and sting enough to make you want to possibly just bite your tounge, but after a minute or two the pain from the salt and canker sore subsides. Keep applying the salt each time the pain may come back, and soon enough your canker sore will be gone.
Water
Posted by al (Belleville, canada) on 12/16/2007
★★★★★
hi I appreciate your website I as well am subject to canker sores on my toung,especially when my body gets very acidic. So I cut out heavy spices and started drinking 2-1/2 pitchers of water every day in a week no more cankers try it.
Fenugreek
Posted by T.S.Rajah (Wimledon, UK) on 12/07/2007
★★★★★
Fenugreek's leafy form belongs to the spinach family. However, its seeds are useful when cooking to combat the flatulence caused by certain foods, such as lentils and cauliflower. Its anti-viral properties mean it also helps against sore throat and mouth ulcers. Historically, fenugreek has been used to treat diabetes and is now thought to reduce blood pressure
Baking Soda
Posted by Hayley (Rochester, NY) on 08/09/2007
★★★★★
I get canker sores often and they cause me alot of pain when I eat or talk. I heard that baking soda can help. I started using baking soda and it takes the pain out for hours at a time. First I mix it with water to make a paste, and apply it to the sore, hold it on for a straigt minute. (yes, it stings and will bring tears to your eyes) then swish with water and spit it out. I can go to work for 6 hours and have no pain. Rinsing mouth out with a teaspon of baking soda in a glass of water periodically during the day helps too.
Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Precious (Austin, TX) on 06/20/2007
★★★★★
Vinegar and Peroxide (mouth sores) I learned from my mother to treat mouth sores (whether a bit lip/tongue or a cold sore) with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar (any type of vinegar seems to work okay, but Apple Cider is the best and most palatable). I have always used this remedy, and nothing else has ever worked. I've tried many OTC remedies and none relieve the pain AND speed the healing process like this mixture. What I want to know is... why doesn't H2O2 alone have as good an effect? Some people seem to swear by it, but it has never been as effective when I tried it alone.
Vinegar
Posted by Kelsey (St. Louis, Mo) on 05/16/2007
★★★★★
Ok I had this terrible sore on my upper lip. I wear braces, so the braces were digging into it making it even more painful. I tried the vinegar and q-tip thing and it really worked! It's been about 2 minutes since I tried it, and I can't feel anything anymore. Thanks so much.
Vinegar
Posted by John (Fitchburg, MA) on 05/11/2007
★★★★★
i have two canker sores , one small one on my upper lip and a big one on my lower lip. i used saltwater but it just tasted nasty, stung, and didnt help at all. i put regular vinegar on a q-tip and held it on each sore for a minute. it stung but after another minute it stopped hurting. i could finally put on my chapstick with out using my finger to spread it. i just tried it so im still waiting to see if itll last until tomorrow
Yogurt
Posted by Michael (Ocean City, NJ) on 03/20/2007
★★★★★
I've had horrible canker sores my whole life. They would turn into huge open wounds that would usually last 2 weeks or so (unless I accidentally bit one) no matter what I did. I was able to figure out that acidic fruit, nuts, etc... caused them but sometimes I 'd get them anyway. I tried most remedies on this site before finding the one that works -- a yogurt a day! Now, regardless of what I eat, I never get one (unless I run out of yogurt) and if I do, they go away quickly. Good news for yogurt lovers... bummer for the others.
Yogurt
Posted by Katherine (Portland, Oregon) on 03/20/2007
★★★★★
I have a really easy cure/method of prevention for canker sores. I read this remedy for canker sores in "The Doctor's Book of Home Remedy's" about 12 years ago. I had suffered miserably from chronic canker sores since I was a child. It seemed like I constantly had them and always several at once(never just one) All you have to do is eat a cup of yogurt every day. I think the book said to eat 4 oz of plain yogurt daily but it doesn't matter. You are eating it for the LIVE CULTURES. (Don't freeze it - frozen yogurt wont work - it will kill the cultures) You can eat any flavor you like, any brand (store brand, Yoplait, Dannon, etc), fruit on the bottom, pre-stirred,etc. Doesn't matter. It will take a few weeks for the canker sores to disappear so be patient and stick with it, but if you continue to eat the yogurt they will not come back. I have not had bad canker sores now in years. I do notice that if I don't happen to eat it for more than a couple days I can feel the canker sores returning. This has been a wonderful solution for me. I hope this will help someone else. It is an easy solution for kids because there's sure to be a flavor they like.
Wasabi
Posted by Paul (Mountain View, CA) on 02/06/2007
★★★★★
After years of suffering from painful mouth ulcers (Canker sores) and trying several unsuccessful natural cures, wasabi did the trick. I stumbled on this cure accidentally, but have used it successfully for the last 2 years. At the first sign of sores, I eat wasabi chips or wasabi peas and the development of the ulcers are arrested and they are completely gone in 12-36 hours. Usually just a handful of chips a couple of times a day does the trick. I have also tried wasabi mayonnaise and straight wasabi. They do work well; but the combination of the wasabi and salt in the chips and peas seems to work best. I know it sounds crazy, but try it! Just make sure the wasabi comes in contact with affected area for a minute or two. What used to cause 7-10 days of agony on a regular basis, is now barely a ripple in my life. I don't know if it will work for all types of mouth ulcers, but it worked for mine.
Avoid Milk
Posted by Win (Gainesville, FL) on 01/31/2007
★★★★★
Avoiding milk and milk products cured my canker sores. Both my mother and I suffered from sores in our mouths and we had tried many different remedies hoping to prevent them. Mom discovered that if she reduced her milk intake, she got fewer sores. Now, we both drink only soy milk and have been canker-free for years. Soy ice creams are getting better and better, too. I occasionally have some regular cheese and this doesn't seem to cause any problems. Cheese made from soy is still pretty awful.