Think of the day when there’s a party out there, the delicious dishes are ready to be enjoyed and as you take a bite, you discover that you have painful reddish sores that come in the way and make ‘eating’ painful!
This is enough to spoil whole day (and maybe a couple more days too)!
Technically, Aphthous stomatitis, canker sores are yellowish painful spots surrounded by a reddish lump of affected tissues. It is one amongst the most irritating ailments as it hits the delicate cells of gums, lips, under the tongue and inside of cheeks.
Causes and Symptoms of Canker Sores
It wouldn’t be wrong to call this misery, a mystery since the exact cause is still unclear. But some of the factors that are known to give rise to these red patches on skin include
- Stress
- Viral infections
- Anxiety
- Allergies to certain food products
- Fluctuations in hormones
- Nutritional deficiency
- An injury in mouth
- Hereditary
- Environmental elements
- Certain medications
- Menstrual cycle
It isn’t difficult to diagnose canker sores as the symptoms are often clear and identifiable. Initial symptoms may include a tingling sensation in the mouth, tender red area in the mouth and a round to oval shaped white or yellow ulcer. Rarely, the problem can take a bigger turn and come up with swelling in lymph nodes or fever.
How to get rid of canker sores
The treatment for canker sores isn’t as difficult as struggling with this problem is. With a handful of ingredients, you are set to fight with these ulcers and get rid of them. Here’s how
1.Essential oils for Canker sores
Think of dealing with inflammation and essential oils come up to heal with their anti-inflammatory properties! When it comes to treating canker sores, you can explore the amazing properties of these potential oils that make them
- bring the wounded tissues back in form,
- relief from discomfort that comes with swelling and fluid buildup and
- numbs the firing off nerve endings with their cooling effect.
This is how you can prepare your own spray and get relief from canker sores.
- Make a solution by adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 10 drops of peppermint essential oil and 8 drops of eucalyptus essential oil. You may also replace olive oil with grape seed oil.
- Pour the resulting solution in a spray bottle or glass mister bottle and cap it.
- Shake it well and spray the contents right on those cancer sores.
Also Read Home Remedies for Sensitive Teeth.
2. Baking Soda
More often than not, a viral or bacterial attack initiates the development of canker sores. Baking soda makes the survival of these microbes terrible by neutralizing the pH of the affected area. Moreover, its anti-inflammatory properties ensure that swelling and inflammation is under control. So it gives overall protection and care to the affected area and halts the infection process.
Easy DIY procedure to use baking soda for canker sores relief
Baking soda and water
- Prepare a fine paste by adding a tablespoon of water to a teaspoon of baking soda.
- Apply this paste on the sores, preferably with a cotton ball. This will form a protective layer as well as soothe those painful ulcers from within.
- Let the coating work for a few minutes.
- Swish your mouth with lukewarm water.
- Repeat the process twice a day until sores get completely eliminated.
To this recipe of paste that you’ll be preparing, you can alter the ingredients a bit. You may add a teaspoon of salt or few drops of peppermint oil to this paste. (DO not forget to increase the volume of water)
3. Coconut Oil
This ingredient is a true one man army! Be it inflammation or infection, coconut oil never fails to deliver its goodness and establish its worth. If you have just this one ingredient by your side, you need not worry about canker sores.
Here’s how to get rid of cancer sores using coconut oil
- Take some coconut oil and heat it for its melted form.
- Take a cotton swab and let it soak in this liquid coconut oil thoroughly.
- Apply this coconut oil carrying swab onto your sores directly and witness the magic!
- If the oil is too thin to stick to the sore, you may add half a teaspoon of beeswax to a tablespoon of melted oil so as to thicken it.
Also check for home remedies for swollen gums.
4. Alum for Canker sores
Alum powder is an amazing ‘moisture squeezer’! In no time, it pulls out water and this is the trick we need to smartly make use of to get rid of sores. When it comes to puffed-up ulcers, alum works efficiently to remove moisture from it and accelerate the healing process.
Method to use alum for canker sores treatment
- Take a pebble of alum and place it onto the canker sores.
- If it hurts, you may go for alum powder application.
- Let the alum do its job for a minute or so. Be patient while you face that ‘bitter taste’.
- After a minute, spit out the saliva along with the residual alum. DO NOT SWALLOW IT.
- Bear that bitterness and do not rinse your mouth with water.
- And the fruitful results for the patience you kept will be right there in few minutes.
5. Clove Oil to cure Canker Sores
So you thought that the advertisements boasting about toothpaste containing cloves are just to convince you that their ingredients are natural? Well, it has something more to do to you. Believe us! Something really good as the key element of clove, Eugenol is a proven painkiller. Be it occasional toothaches or something as bad as canker sores, clove is a sure shot solution that promises instant pain relief.
How to use clove oil to heal canker sores
- Swish your mouth well with warm salty water.
- Add a few drops (4-5 drops) of clove oil to about half a teaspoon of olive oil.
- Take a cotton ball and dip it well in the solution so obtained.
- Apply this oil-rich cotton ball onto the affected area directly for good 5-8 minutes.
- Wait to experience instant numbing effect!
- Repeat it as and when needed.
You can also check for home remedies to get rid of stuffy nose.
6. Honey Treatment
With its superior antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, honey aptly deserves a place amongst the home remedies for canker sore. All you need to do is make arrangements so that goodness of honey coats those painful ulcers.
How to use honey for canker sores
- As mentioned before, swish your mouth well with warm salty water.
- Apply a thick coat of raw honey directly to the affected area.
- Repeat the process at least twice a day and just before going to bed.
7. Saltwater
One of the symptoms of a canker sore is that excess fluid builds up making the condition worse. If your ulcers have really puffed up with that unwanted fluid, salt water is the savior! When salt water comes in contact with the fluid-filled sores, due to a process called osmosis, the extra fluid is drawn out from the cell. And this is how salt water deals with one of the most troublesome symptoms of canker sores.
Additionally, warm water soothes the affected area while the salt ensures clean microenvironment at the affected site.
How to go about it
- Add half a teaspoon of common salt in one-fourth cup of warm water.
- Stir it well to dissolve the salt completely.
- Now swish this solution around your mouth.
- Redo it at least thrice a day until the condition improves.
salt water can also be used to cure foot fungus.
8. Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is a complete combo of nature’s best gifts when it comes to treating canker sores. The solution is rich in acetic acid which isn’t liked by infection causing bacteria but is loved by the good bacteria inhabiting the body.
There are more than one ways you can use apple cider vinegar to soothe those painful sores.
Here’s how to go for apple cider vinegar and get rid of canker sores
- Make mild solution (50% or less) of apple cider vinegar and warm water and use this solution to rinse your mouth daily.
- Take a q-tip and dip it in the raw organic apple cider vinegar. Hold the q-tip on the affected area for a few minutes.
Note: You may feel a sort of ‘sting’ in the sores as the raw apple cider vinegar comes in contact with the canker sores. Believe us! It’s worth bearing for.
Precaution: Apple cider vinegar can affect tooth enamel and other parts of the mouth. So try limiting its use (in its raw form) specifically to the affected area or go for its weak solution.
9. Mouthwash for canker sores
If you wish to speed up the disappearance of every single sore that is planning to pop up , preparing mouthwash that takes care of the whole mouth at once is the best way out. It not only heals the mature canker sores but suppresses the budding sores and ulcers that may cause discomfort in near time. And what could be the better option than exploring the potential of nature and utilizing its health benefits! It’s easy, pure, inexpensive and of course amazingly effective.
Here’s how to make your own mouthwash for canker sores
- Baking soda and aloe
Baking soda alone does wonder when it comes to treating canker sores. And when the ‘first aid plant’ aloe vera pours its goodness, the healing process speeds up!
Method
- Take a teaspoon of baking soda and about 2 tablespoons of aloe vera juice.
- Add these ingredients to half a cup of warm water and stir well to obtain a uniform solution.
- Rinse your mouth thoroughly with this solution by taking a small sip of it and swishing it for 10-15 seconds.
- DO NOT SWALLOW the solution. Repeat it twice a day for 3-4 days.
- Sage mouthwash
Sage is an evergreen shrub that has been known to cleanse the mouth and treat canker sores.
Method
- Take 2 teaspoons of dry sage or a handful of fresh ones.
- Take a bowl of water and put these shrubs in it.
- Let this bowl boil for 10 minutes.
- Let the temperature of the solution come down to a bearable point.
- Use this solution as a mouthwash.
- After a minute of swishing, rinse your mouth with cold water.
- Milk of Magnesia
Commonly used as an antacid or laxative, milk of magnesia works by neutralizing the acids in the mouth that give rise to canker sores.
Method to prepare mouthwash with milk of magnesia
- Mix equal amount of Benadryl and milk of magnesia and dilute the resulting mixture in water.
- Use this to rinse your mouth.
- Hydrogen peroxide
Who isn’t aware of the superb disinfecting potential of hydrogen peroxide! And when it’s about treating canker sores, why leave this essential ingredient behind?
Here’s how to go about making a mouthwash of hydrogen peroxide
- Combine a one-fourth cup of both hydrogen peroxide and water.
- Add a teaspoon each of baking soda and salt to it.
- Stir the solution well and your disinfecting mouth rinse is ready!
10. Food to eat
Worst is the scenario when canker sores develop on tongue or inside of mouth as they make eating ‘terribly painful’ task! But don’t worry! We are here with a list of food that will not only satisfy your appetite but also aid the healing process.
- Yogurt – It contains ‘good bacteria’ that fight with the infectious ones and eliminate canker sores.
- Black tea – Tannin, the active ingredient in black tea acts as an astringent thereby suppressing the pain.
- Green vegetables – These are rich sources of Iron and Vitamin B, whose deficiency is known to be one of the most common causes of canker sores. So go for lots of spinach and other leafy vegetables. You may also prepare a juice and include carrots too amongst its key ingredients.
Go for soft, easy to chew foods that are low in spices and acids.
We wish you a speedy recovery!