CANKER SORES

Hi Sunny1971!
I used to have quite a few canker sores. What helped me the most was Listerine mouthwash; the original one; not the new flavored ones. I rinsed after each meal. It really worked good. It took away the pain and the canker sores eventually went away. When I didn't have that, I used hot salt water which helped as much. My dentist told me that canker sores were caused by stress. I hope this helps you. Have you tried looking them up on the Mayo Clinic website? They are very helpful with information on everything!
Good luck!
PML

Thank you so much for your input. I have tried Listerine. It burns and I have tried the salt water now. It doesn’t do anything. Yes they are caused by stress but it’s also a virus in your immune, i take Acidophilus, yogurt, garlic, everything I could think of and I’ll still get one. My doctor said there was no real cure yet. Thank you for commenting on my post.

I found triggers for my canker sores (beyond stress.) Specific foods - pineapple, too much dairy, chocolate or sugar, ANY dental work - even just cleaning and a few others.
I have a "big" tool in my arsenal now - when I get a major outbreak, I take Acyclovir, a prescription, for 5 days. My primary prescribed it to keep on hand. It's not a cure, but seems I need it 2-3 times a year, and it calms things down a great deal so I may go weeks before any new sores come.
By the way - this seems to be a family thing - some of my siblings get these too, as well as my daughter.
Sue

Yes i found it is in my moms genes, My sister and my twin brother do not get them, but my older brother and myself get them. I was going to ask the public about your medicine, Acyclovir, my doc said it only works on cold sores, For outside of the mouth, that is a total separate entity than the inside canker sores I had read about it. Canker sores are not contagious however, cold sores are. Yes diet and stress relief help Immensely. I guess I’m looking for an instant cure when I get one. Thank you so !!much.

@sunny1971
What has worked best for me, for immediate relief are Oral Gel medicated swabs for oral/mouth pain.

It provides a nice barrier coating for a bit and numbs the area, providing relief from the inflammation.

They are easy to use when you get a flare up. I have also found that after about 3 days of using them, my canker sores go away.

Obviously there are multiple triggers for canker sores.

But when asking for immediate relief, I have found these to work great!

Go on Amazon and get Canker Cover. Tiny pills that adhere to the sore…. I use these overnight. At first it will burn a little, but then go numb. Turns into a paste by morning.

I know this is an old thread, but hopefully this will help someone.

I have finally found a cure and a preventative for canker sores. I have suffered from canker sores my whole life (I used to get at least one or two bad ones several times per month), and so have several members of my family. This has worked for all of us after discovering this 6 months ago.

I put a small dab of toothpaste on my toothbrush, then scoop it in baking soda to get a big clump, and then brush normally. Alternatively, swishing with baking soda in water solution helps, but I find that brushing with it is more effective for me.

No canker sores in at least 5 months! Plus, my teeth are getting whiter and whiter, and my dentist has noticed tartar build-up between dental cleanings is very minimal. It's definitely the way to go - dentists should be telling everyone to do this.

Other things that have worked, but only if you catch them early:
*Baking soda applied directly to ulcer
*L-Lysine 500-1000mg at first sign (not always effective, but has worked many times); twice per day.
*Full spectrum CBD oil applied directly at first sign. (This worked the best for me, until discovering baking soda.)

Hope this helps...

Wow! I never heard of that I Marianne and I’ve had in my whole life. They
say it comes from your mom or dad. It’s a virus. That’s amazing. I’m gonna
try it because I’ve suffered since I was a child my sister, does not get
them, but I have a twin brother and we both get them. I’m 70 now and I’m
still getting them when I get stressed. Thank you for yourwonderful news.
On Wed, Oct 29, 2025 at 11:51 AM Mayo Clinic Connect < nf+15efbde1+81473790@n1.hubapplication.com> wrote:

> ## reply above this line ##
>
>
> Mayo Clinic Connect
> *Comment* posted by @dpalmer003
> < https://connect.mayoclinic.org/member/00-eefadda455c6be5f525345/?utm_source=connect.mayoclinic.org&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=new_comment&utm_content=new_comment_intro_userlink&gt;
> on discussion "CANKER SORES".
>
> I know this is an old thread, but hopefully this will help someone.
>
> I have finally found a cure and a preventative for canker sores. I have
> suffered from canker sores my whole life (I used to get at least one or two
> bad ones several times per month), and so have several members of my
> family. This has worked for all of us after discovering this 6 months ago.
>
> I put a small dab of toothpaste on my toothbrush, then scoop it in baking
> soda to get a big clump, and then brush normally. Alternatively, swishing
> with baking soda in water solution helps, but I find that brushing with it
> is more effective for me.
>
> No canker sores in at least 5 months! Plus, my teeth are getting whiter
> and whiter, and my dentist has noticed tartar build-up between dental
> cleanings is very minimal. It's definitely the way to go - dentists should
> be telling everyone to do this.
>
> Other things that have worked, but only if you catch them early:
> *Baking soda applied directly to ulcer
> *L-Lysine 500-1000mg at first sign (not always effective, but has worked
> many times); twice per day.
> *Full spectrum CBD oil applied directly at first sign. (This worked the
> best for me, until discovering baking soda.)
>
> Hope this helps...
> VIEW & REPLY
> < https://connect.mayoclinic.org/notification/81473790/?redirect_to=80f59a067f6d6a9fe726%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fconnect.mayoclinic.org%2Fcomment%2F1425946%2F&utm_source=connect.mayoclinic.org&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=new_comment&gt;
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