HEALING FOR CANKER SORE

WHAT IS CANKER SORE?

Canker sore is a painful disease of the mucous membrane of the mouth. Canker sore, also known as mouth sore among the people, is an oral ulcer that is seen in 20% of the population and causes pain, itching and burning. It is also called aphthous ulcer or aphthous stomatitis. It is common in the oral cavity, inside the cheeks, gums, tonsils, especially near the tongue or inside the lips. Although canker sore usually occur singly, they can occur more than once in different regions at the same time. Sometimes while one heals, the other can occur. They are sores with a cottony appearance, round or oval, with a yellowish to grayish-white base and often surrounded by an inflamed red border. Canker sore smaller than 1 centimeter in diameter are called minor canker sore, and canker sore larger than 1 centimeter are called major canker sore.

How severe the canker sore pain is varies from person to person. Sometimes talking, eating or even swallowing causes pain.

If not treated timely and properly, canker sore tend to recur.

WHY DOES CANKER SORE OCCUR?

Burning of the inside of the mouth due to hot foods, hard and acidic foods, biting the cheek, hard brushing of teeth, braces, vitamin deficiencies such as B12 / iron, weakening of immunity, viruses or bacteria, stress or various diseases can cause canker sore formation.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CANKER SORE?

• Severe pain and/or sores on the back of the mouth, palate and tongue, felt while speaking
• Wounds that are round or oval, with a yellowish to grayish-white base and often surrounded by an inflamed red border
• Wounds that can spread to the outer part of the mouth
• Swollen lymph nodes, fever, fatigue and physical weakness in the later stages

 

CANKER SORE PREVENTION

The best way to prevent canker sore is to have a stress-free healthy lifestyle and strong immunity. In cases of canker sore, foods that are hot like tea, hard like toast, acidic like citrus fruits, and irritating foods like spices should be avoided. Particular attention should be paid to oral hygiene to prevent further spread of bacteria into the mouth.

HOW TO HEAL CANKER SORE?

Canker sores are usually harmless, not contagious, and heal on their own within 1-2 weeks. However, since it is painful, it can reduce the quality of life of the person.

When canker sore occurs, be sure to consult your doctor to find out the cause and treatment methods. In case of any particular vitamin or mineral deficiencies, your doctor can help design an appropriate diet plan and prescribe individual supplements if you need them. Mouthwashes or sprays with antimicrobial and analgesic content are mostly used in the treatment of canker sore. Pomades are also very useful.

What You Can Apply at Home

• Sage, echinacea or camomile or their tea can be brewed and mouth can be rinsed after cooling.
• With the mixture made by adding 1 teaspoon of baking soda to half a glass of drinking water, the mouth can be rinsed for 15-30 seconds, helping relieve pain and healing.
• Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in half a glass of warm water and rinse your mouth for 15-30 seconds. Although painful, it can help dry the canker sore.
• Raw honey has been used for thousands of years to treat skin wounds due to its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. After rinsing your mouth with warm water and cleaning it, you can apply some honey on the canker sore.

A Natural Supplement: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants’ Oils

Due to the side effects of drugs, many people in the world prefer medicinal and aromatic plants’ oils as a health support. You can try using herbal oils to relieve your canker sore symptoms.

• Coconut oil has antimicrobial characteristic. You can apply a little bit of coconut oil to the canker sore several times a day.

• Tea tree oil, geranium oil, peppermint oil, oregano oil, lemon peel oil, clove oil, myrtle oil, eucalyptus oil are essential oils with antimicrobial characteristic. You can use mouthwashes prepared with these oils or mixtures of these oils or their diluted forms for the treatment of canker sore.

We recommended that you consult your doctor before using these herbal oils.

Consulting Your Doctor

See your doctor if your canker sore is causing excruciating pain or affecting your life, lasts longer than 2 weeks, new sores form before old wounds heal, and home treatments aren't working.