Home remedies drawn from medical treatment
Some home remedies that divulge how to get rid of canker sores overlap with the medical treatment for the illness, such as corticosteroids and anesthetics. While a physician will prescribe highly concentrated corticosteroids, less concentrated ones are available without a prescription. Hydrocortisone creams such as Cortaid and Westcort are available over the counter and may be as effective as prescription treatments when used as directed. If your goal is simply pain relief, Anbesol contains up to 20% benzocaine and is an excellent, fast-acting topical anesthetic that does not require a prescription.
Canker sore home remedy: Mouth rinses
When considering how to get rid of a canker sore there are several mouth rinses that can be used to reduce the pain and irritation of aphthous ulcers. Perhaps the most well known canker sore home remedy is salt water. If you are going to use salt water as a canker sore remedy, remember that it may make the aphthous ulcer slightly more painful during the treatment. Mix between a teaspoon and a tablespoon of salt in eight ounces of warm water. The water should be almost hot to the touch but not so hot as to burn your mouth. Once the salt is dissolved, swish in your mouth for 30 to 60 seconds a spit (do not swallow).
Milk of magnesia and liquid antihistamines can be used as mouth rinses as well. While you may be able to swallow some of these medicines when used for other illnesses, as a home remedy for canker sores they should be spit out after use. They do their whole job right at the aphthous ulcer site.
There is some evidence that suggests that mouthwashes with triclosan might help prevent canker sores from recurring. Unfortunately triclosan is being investigated by the FDA and the EPA as a chemical that may interfere with the endocrine system (hormones). While it is not yet known to be dangerous, the results of ongoing investigations may conclude that this canker sore remedy is not worth the risk. On the other hand, avoiding mouth rinses that contain sodium lauryl sulfate may be beneficial. While no one knows why, sodium lauryl sulfate seems to make aphthous ulcers flare-up more frequently.
Diet and vitamins
For the most part, vitamin supplementation as a canker sore remedy is only helpful when there is a vitamin deficiency of some sort. Most Western diets are fortified with enough vitamins that additional supplementation is not usually necessary. That said, many people do have undiagnosed vitamin deficiencies and may benefit from B vitamin supplementation, zinc, and folate. One notable exception is vitamin B12. This vitamin may actually be a canker sore remedy that works whether or not there is a deficiency.
Gluten may irritate aphthous ulcers and should be avoided in some people. It seems, though, that the people who benefit from gluten avoidance (as a home remedy for canker sores) are those that have an inability to digest gluten. Researchers are only recently beginning to realize, however, how many people have some degree of celiac disease that are not diagnosed. If you have recurrent aphthous ulcers, it may make sense to ask your doctor about testing for celiac disease. If positive, avoiding gluten will not only become a way of life, but will be a canker sore remedy as well.
References
Fridh G, Koch G. Effect of a mouth rinse containing amyloglucosidase and glucose oxidase on recurrent aphthous ulcers in children and adolescents. Swed Dent J 1999;23:49-57.
Gulcan E, Toker S, Hatipoglu H, Gulcan A, Toker A. Cyanocobalamin may be beneficial in the treatment of recurrent aphthous ulcers even when vitamin B12 levels are normal. Am J Med Sci 2008;336:379-382.
Hunter IP, Ferguson MM, Scully C, Galloway AR, Main AN, Russell RI. Effects of dietary gluten elimination in patients with recurrent minor aphthous stomatitis and no detectable gluten enteropathy. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol 1993;75:595-598.
Skaare AB, Herlofson BB, Barkvoll P. Mouthrinses containing triclosan reduce the incidence of recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU). J Clin Periodontol 1996;23:778-781.
Volkov I, Rudoy I, Freud T et al. Effectiveness of vitamin B12 in treating recurrent aphthous stomatitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Am Board Fam Med 2009;22:9-16.
