Canker sores are those white or red bumps that hurt in your mouth. They are found on the tongue, along the gum lines, inside the cheeks or on the tonsils. Anyone who has had a canker sore knows how bothersome they can be. They are painful and can last well over a week.
Several vitamins can help aid healing of canker sores as well as prevent them from reoccurring. Deficiencies of vitamin C and B12 as well as folic acid and iron have all been connected with canker sores and cold sores. In order to get full benefit of these vitamins and minerals, doctors recommend taking a daily multi-vitamin supplement. Some doctors also suggest using gel from a vitamin E capsule to dab onto the sore, rather than ingesting it. It is possible the gel from the capsule can be soothing and aid healing.
In addition to vitamins, there are several remedies easily available to ease the pain of a sore as well as help it heal.
Several popular solutions to be used as a mouthwash are hydrogen peroxide and saline or salt water. Gargle the mouthwash and slosh it around your mouth before spitting it out. Repeat a couple of times a day. Aloe juice is soothing as well, as is sage tea. Take a sip, of the juice or tea, slosh it around you mouth before swallowing. If the heat from the tea makes the pain worse, wait for it to go tepid before drinking.
There are many mild anesthetic sprays available from pharmacies over the counter. They are effective in numbing the pain of a sore. Clove oil is also soothing. Both Milk of Magnesia and baking soda have long been favorite remedies for sores. Dab a paste of baking soda mixed with a little water onto the sore. It will be uncomfortable to begin with, but really does help with healing.
The spice Alum is also well known to help canker sores. It burns when first applied. Make sure you wash your mouth out completely a minute or so after applying. Do this a couple of times a day until healed.