Question:
Does anyone know of any cures/remedies/treatments for canker sores? I
get them a lot, but they're usually located in the crevice between my
gum and the inside of my cheek, so they don't bother me too much. The
one I have right now, though, is on the inside of my bottom lip - if
it were any closer to the outside, it'd be a cold sore instead. It is
*killing* me - it rubs against my teeth whenever I talk, smile, chew,
etc. and it rests against my teeth the rest of the time, so even if I
hold my mouth perfectly still it hurts.
Any ideas? I'm actually surprised I've never turned to you guys for
advice on this before...I don't get canker sores quite as often as I
used to, but I still have them pretty frequently.
Answer:
I get canker sores a fair amount, too. I use a lot of liquid Anbesol for
the pain. When I have one like you described, where it hurts all the time,
even when I'm not moving my mouth, I use this stuff called Zilactin-B, which
is a gel that comes in a small tube. Basically, it has a pain killer and
the gel forms a protective coating over the sore. It feels a little funny,
but it really does the job to protect it. I also use a hydrogen peroxide
mouthwash (Peroxyl - Colgate makes it). It feels good, and I think it helps
a lot, though I suppose regular diluted hydrogen peroxide would do the same
thing.
a friend of mine who gets really frequent canker sores swears by
Rembrandt Canker Sore Prevention toothpaste. He says it really has reduced
the number of canker sores he gets.
