Many people confuse canker sores with cold sores/fever blisters.
Canker sores are caused by a certain bacteria. They can be very painful, and usually appear a raised red sore. I don't know if the bacteria is contagious. There are some over-the-counter canker sore treatments available in the pharmacy. Gargling with warm, salted water should help as well. In rare cases, people get many canker sores at once and they can be very painful. Usually you only get one at a time and they are more of a twinge of pain, rather than serious pain.
Cold sores/fever blisters are caused by a very contagious virus called Herpes Type I (type one). They usually happen on your lips, but they CAN happen in your mouth. They are also characterized by pain, but appear to be a small blister or cluster of blisters, almost a bubble.
When on your lips, they can be treated by OTC creams, but when in your mouth, there's nothing available OTC to help. You can get a prescription from your doctor for anti-viral pills (such as Valtrex) to reduce the frequency of the blisters.
(Genital herpes are usually Type II (type two), although about 20% of oral cases are Type II and 20% of genital cases are Type I (type one). It doesn't really matter which Type you have, they behave and are treated the same way. The more important issue is where they are located on your body.)
If you have Herpes, cut back on your intake of sugar, red meat, walnuts, peanuts, and orange juice as these all irritate and increase the frequency of your blisters.
2007-01-26 10:41:51
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answer #1
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answered by kjcedits 3
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2016-05-02 06:33:22
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answer #2
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answered by ? 3
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No, they are not. Cold sores are contagious and can be treated with Abreva.
Doctors don't know what causes canker sores, but they may be triggered by stress, poor nutrition, food allergies and menstrual periods.
Canker sores usually go away without any treatment. For pain relief, you can try taking ibuprofen (brand name: Advil) or acetaminophen (brand name: Tylenol). Other medicines, such as Anbesol, Oragel, Orabase and Zilactin-B, might keep your canker sores from becoming irritated by eating, drinking or brushing your teeth. You put these medicines right on the sore.
You can also mix equal amounts of Milk of Magnesia and Benadryl Allergy liquid. After it's mixed, you can swish a teaspoonful in your mouth for about 1 minute and then spit it out. If you do this every 4 to 6 hours, your canker sores may hurt less.
Some people think that sucking on zinc lozenges, taking vitamin C or vitamin B complex, using a sage-and-chamomile mouthwash or taking a lysine supplement helps their canker sores heal faster.
2007-01-26 10:35:59
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answer #3
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answered by heartsonfire 6
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No they are not contagious. Canker sores are the result of a low-grade infection in the body (NOT the result of eating too many spicy foods as many people think). You have to let them run their course, but using OTC's like Kank-aid help them heal faster. Eating Yogurt can help the body restore it's natural balance, too. And the poster above is confusing a canker sore with a cold sore, and those in fact ARE contagious.
2007-01-26 10:34:39
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answer #4
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answered by Anonymous
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Canker sores are not contagious (but don't confuse them with cold sores which are). Looks of things can cause them, sometime a slight chemical imbalance in your system. Or sometime from an injury like biting the inside of you cheek. The pretty much have to go away by themselves. But a medication like Ora-gel can help numb it temporarily.
2007-01-26 10:40:28
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answer #5
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answered by Angie 6
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I got diagnosed with herpes (type 2) about 3 years back, when I was still in college and had a foolish one-night stand. I understand a lot of young women say this, but I swear I had never done that sort of thing before. I just made a mistake that one time and all of a sudden I felt like I was going to have to live with the consequences for my entire life. The worst part was feeling I could never date other men again. In the end, who wants to go out with someone who has sores around her "you know what" area? But since a friend shared this video https://tr.im/5667r everything got better.
Not only was I able to clear away all traces of the herpes simplex virus from my body in less than 3 weeks, but I was also able to start dating again. I even met the man of my dreams and I'm so blessed to write that just last week, in front of everyone in a busy restaurant, he got down on one knee and proposed to me!! This system gave me back the chance to be happy and experience true love again. Now I want to help others too by sharing this story.
2015-09-27 18:31:36
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answer #6
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answered by Donna 1
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when your under stress and worrying to much canker sores will appear and no they are not contagious. Use alum (works great)
2007-01-26 10:37:58
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answer #7
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answered by Achilles 2
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Yes they are contagious.
ABREVA speeds healing like a prescription, without one.
Feel a cold sore coming on? Don't wait. Start using ABREVA today. ABREVA is the first and only non-prescription cold sore medicine approved by the FDA to shorten healing time and duration of symptoms. It is the #1 Pharmacist recommended cold sore medicine.
2007-01-26 10:33:08
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answer #8
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answered by redunicorn 7
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