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.
Distilled White Vinegar
Posted by Kam (San Carlos, Ca) on 09/20/2008
★★★★★
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.
Silver Nitrate Sticks
Posted by Chelsea (Bloomington, IN) on 08/23/2008
★★★★★
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.
Cloves
Posted by Litsa (Fairbanks, Alaska) on 05/14/2008
★★★★★
CURE FOR CANKER SORES: Hi i try many remedies but the best i try was ground cloves. Use your finger or q/tip take a small amount and put it in your mouth where is the canker sore is, hold it for 5 minutes, it will sting little bit , then wash your mouth with plain water.it will heel about 4 to 6 hours. I never see anything like this happen with me or my friends, try it and you will see, By the way thanks for this site i recommend it to everyone i know. Thank you.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Maddy (Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK) on 05/09/2008
★★★★★
I was suffering with mouth ulcers for some time and my GP gave me some cream to put on my tongue. The stuff was awfull and left a dry residue on my tongue. It did nothing for the pain. So I started using coconut oil. 1 Tablespoon, melted in microwave in a plastic cup (if you use glass the oil explodes and covers the inside of your microwave). Leave to cool enough so you can hold it in your mouth for approx. 1 minute, then swallow. I did this 2x a day for 2 days and my mouthulcers where gone. Maddy, UK
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
