Question:
I have the following 14 questions about canker sores.
Please help me if you can. I get canker sores in my
mouth about once in every three months or so.
1. What is the quickest way to recover from canker
sores?
2. Does constant production of saliva as a result of
irritation go against healing the sores? Would the
sores heal faster if mouth is relatively dry? I can to
some extent control the dryness of the mouth by taking
over-the-counter drugs with sympathomimetic effect, but
am not sure this would help or hinder the healing.
3. What about lowering the sugar in the blood, would
that help the healing process?
4. For some reason my canker sores do not heal
gradually, but stay very painful for a number of days
then suddenly during one night's sleep they go 90
percent of the road to recovery and by the end of next
day they're history. Is this so with everybody? Is
there a way to induce that recovery reaction earlier?
5. I am pretty sure (but not a hundred percent) that my
canker sores start when I unknowingly burn myself
eating hot food. My mouth's temperature detection has
dulled and this every now and then fools me into not
taking enough care making sure the meal is cool enough.
Is this reason the same for others who develop canker
sores, or is there some more underlying reasons in me
without myself being aware of them? If so, what are
those other reasons and what could be done against them
to prevent having canker sores?
6. What about anaemia? If I'm anaemic (genetically)
would this be one of the underlying reasons? I have a
mild form of thalassemia. Would thalassemia effects
come in episodes or is it a constant all-time
condition. I'm guessing if it comes in episodes then
this might be one of the underlying reasons (making
inside skin of mouth less resistant to heat perhaps).
7. Do antibiotics help or are irrelevant?
8. Does more exercise or more rest help? Which one?
9. Too much iron (thalasemia) is part of the cause? Too
little iron? Which one?
10. Certain chemicals or preservatives I ate perhaps?
Should I drink distilled water for a while instead of
tap water when I feel my mouth's become sensitive?
11. Does gargling mouthwash help or hinder recovery?
12. Tea, coffee? Bad or perhaps good, or irrelevant?
13. Ice cold drinks better than normal temperature
drinks, or vice versa?
14. Gargling salt-water mix helps?
Answer:
My wife gets pretty bad canker sores, some lasting up to a month.
About 3-4 months ago, she started brushing with baking soda toothpaste
and adds hydrogen peroxide one the more painful ones.. has really
seemed to reduce the number of sores and time/length of the sore. Also
it seems she may have an allergy to the acid of fruit... If you've been
able to predict a cold sore from hot food or liquid. My suggestion
would be to not eat anything hot.
