Question:
I invariably get a cankersore following an abrasion such as biting
my lip or tongue. Since it takes a few days to form, I question
whether there is something I might do to the damaged area
to prevent the cankersore from forming during the interval
after the abrasion?
Answer:
I don't know how to prevent a canker sore once trauma has occurred, but
I do know something to prevent non-traumatic canker sores: I switched
to a toothpaste which does not contain sodium laurel sulfate. I've
always gotten canker sores by the mouthful (I had an initial outbreak
of coxsackie virus at age four, which my parents remember as ten
times as bad as my bout with the chicken pox!), and this past summer
was the worst. I went through six weeks of consecutive outbreaks, I
couldn't eat or even smile, and I was desperate. I read on the
internet some studies that showed a 70% reduction in canker sore
outbreaks when switching to a SLS-free toothpaste. For me, I've used
the new toothpaste for six month, and I've maybe had three canker sores,
and they were MUCH less painful and they healed much faster.
SLS-free toothpastes can be hard to find, and even "natural" brands have it.
The only widely available SLS free toothpaste is Sensodyne (only the tartar control
formula is SLS free).
Does anyone know why SLS seems to foster canker sores? Is it the
compound itself (which is a lathering agent, also present in shampoos),
or does the SLS allow some other chemical reactions to take place? I'm
curious & can't seem to find any information on this.
