canker sore?

Question

how can i get rid of a canker sore on the side of my mouth, i heard gargling with salt water,

Answer 1

gargling with salt water has a soothing effect but it doesn't make it heal quicker. (one warm cup of water one teaspoon of salt)

It should go way within 2 weeks. if not get it checked out.

If its hurting alot you can place gels as already mentioned on it to numb it up. You can get teething gels from the pharmacy which should do the trick (usually used to place on kids gums when their teeth are coming through)

Listerine won't help much, savacol may help kill bacteria.

Answer 2

I get canker sores all the time. (Usually have at least 2 or three in my mouth at a time :( These are some of the things that I do to help them go away faster. You can make a paste with baking soda and water and put that on the canker sore for as long as you can stand it. Also rinsing your mouth with peroxide, and/or Listerine also helps. Also there is a medicine called Kanka that numbs the sore and also puts a film over it to make it feel better during meal, etc.

Also to the other answerers, canker sores and cold sores are completely different things. Cold sores are viruses, and are contagious. But canker sores are likely caused by bacteria, and present themselves like little mouth ulcers. And lucky for me are not contagious. None of the medicine listed above will help with canker sores.

Answer 3

I have Canker sores chronically meaning I get them in waves of 3 or more every month and I will be first to tell you that they HURT. I just went to the doctor and he perscribed me with a steroid cream called cortizone cream. Canker sores are the result of your bodies immune system kicking in and being overactive in the mouth. My doctor said there is no proof that they are caused by stress, though most evidence lies here (I can attest to stress being the strongest correlator). There is also no evidence that they are due to an iron deficiency or that it is hereditary. I used to gurgle with salt water and eventually applied salt directly to the open sore caused it to bleed (and hurt). That helps but it is not quite worth it. If they get unbearable and last from 7-10 days as mine did, I suggest making an appointment and you'll likely get steriod cream which will supress your immune acitivities in the mouth and thus limit the presense of sores to a couple of days. Best of luck.
I would like to comment on another listing and correct them by saying they are not contageous, that is herpes of the mouth or cold sores which are not internal. Also, the use of listerine or other mouth washes actually does not help, it will excite them and actually make your mouth more susceptible to sores. Eating onions, yogurt, cottage cheese or other bacteria based dairy product will create an environment in your mouth that is less likely to breed sores. My doctor says they are usually caused by mumping into or hitting the inside of your mouth so even brushing your teeth too hard will casue an occurence as your immune system jumps into action to fight the attack on the linings of your mouth.

Answer 4

If you are an established patient at a dentist office they can prescribe you a ointment to put on to help with the discomfort, kinda pricey though, or you may go in and see if one of the assistants would give you a few cotton tipped applicators covered in topical anesthesia, it will only work for a few minutes at a time, but I have used it lots for my daughter who gets canker sores all the time, it helps her when she is eating or drinking........

Answer 5

Try Abreva, a non-prescription medication. You can find it at any drug store, or maybe even a supermarket. It shortens the duration of cold sores.

Answer 6

Unfortunately, there is not one good solution. Everyone must look for that one that works within their immune system. I have a page on this below.

Answer 7

can't. it's gotta heal on it's own.

there is valtrex to prevent them.