Question:
I now have a wonderful crop of canker sores on
one side of my mouth (the side I was chewing the gum on, of course!),
all on the inside of my cheek, over the gums, and along the edge of my
tongue. I've been swilling Chloraseptic and Anbesol for the last day
and a half since they first cropped up, but that doesn't seem to have
done much for making them go away.
(They're an allergic reaction to either the artificial flavor or
artificial color in the gum. I am sensitive to some of those things
and do often get cankers from them, but hadn't consumed these
particular chemicals in that kind of quantity before. I left off the
gum as soon as the first sore cropped up. No, they're not "cold sores"
[herpes blisters], but the flat, raw, pale patches on the mucous
membranes of the mouth.)
Does anyone have any "old wives' tales" or home remedies for getting
rid of canker sores? I called my nurse practitioner and her comment
was "you're just going to have to suffer with them until they go away
on their own," but I'm getting VERY tired of Jello and mashed potatoes
and yogurt shakes
Answer:
This may be somewhat masochistic, and probably not medically approved.
When I get a canker sore, I spray some Binaca or sweet breath spray
directly on the sore. It will sting for a few seconds, but the
pain will go away long enough to enjoy a meal. It may be my imagination,
but the sores seem to heal faster when subjected to this kind of assault.
