[Nonsuch]

Man, am I hurting right now. There's no pain quite like this one; something so small shouldn't be able to hurt so bad.

Anyway, I'm trying two new (to me) remedies right now. One is Kanka, a Blistex product that's 20% benzocaine. That helps somewhat, though it hurts like hell going on and numbs half your mouth in the process. The other is Colgate's OraBase, which is supposed to form a little shield over the sore so it doesn't keep getting irritated. Considering what I paid for it ($10 for 10 doses), I'm not very impressed with the results. Plus that really hurts going on because you have to dab the sore first to dry it.

I'm also trying to take l-lysine, which someone recommended to me. Having trouble remembering to keep up with it; besides, those pills are the size of robins' eggs.

I also use a non-SLS toothpaste (Biotene) which did reduce the frequency for a time. Obviously it wasn't good enough to keep this one away, but then I've been under some stress lately, so I suppose one mustn't blame the toothpaste.

Anyway, I can't be the only one out here dealing with this. What remedies have you guys found helpful, if any?

[AlbertWu]

gargling with salt water helps make it go away faster. though it doesn't help with the pain. for quick medicinal remedies, i've found the shield thing to be annoying, but better than numbing half your mouth, as you have to hold your lip/cheek/whatever out away from your teeth as you wait for it to dry.

so yeah. it'll go away, you'll live, and life goes on

[UNTeMac]

My dentist told me to avoid tarter control toothpaste as a way to avoid getting one as easily and that has worked pretty well but bite your mouth hard enough and it'll come no matter what.

I use Zilactin-B which is one of those shield + numbing remedies. To reduce the pain during application, I ice the area first.

[frownyfrank]

The best way in my experience is Listerene. It hurts like hell when you first use it, but if you keep it in your mouth for a little while (sometimes I do a few minutes) the pain will typically vanish or be greatly reduced.

You can even enjoy tomatoes again.

Suppliment this by avoiding sugar and taking vitamin C pills (not the chewable candy crap).

[Millennium]

I find hydrogen peroxide rinses to work well for me. I've also recently discovered Gly-Oxide, which seems to be roughly the equivalent of swatting a gnat with an anti-aircraft missile, but it certainly gets the job done, and done quick.

The old standby of Kank-A also works.

[macvillage.net]

Talk to your doctor. I got some perscription cream to apply over it at night.

Like sleeping with wax in your mouth...

But makes them go away at least 3X quicker.

[cjrivera]

Also your doctor could prescribe viscous lidocaine. You swish it around your mouth then spit it out. Numbs it longer than some of the over the counter meds, although they work well also.

If they're caused by a viral process, sometimes an anti-viral such as Zovirax or Valtrex can help.

(I forgot: You could also try 3tsp of benadryl and 3 tsp of Milk of Magnesia, swish for about 3 minutes, then spit.)

[typoon]

Abusol (sp) Numbs the spot and works wonders. Hurts like Hell but the Canker sore is gone in a few days.

[gorickey]

Anbesol is amazing stuff...I think the person above this meant this product, it truly does a great job and works pretty quick.

[bamburg dunes]

Bonjella will take the pain away in a second, you'll need to keep dabbing it until the bugger goes away, also tastes really nice too.

Also, for sore teeth or gums, try oil of cloves, works a treat.

[Paco500]

Originally posted by cjrivera:
Also your doctor could prescribe viscous lidocaine.

I second- I got a prescription for something called- seriously, "Magic Mouthwash." I got it for a sore throat, but it numbed the whole mouth much longer than anything I've ever used over the counter. It rocked cloroseptic's world.

[AKcrab]

I used to put salt directly on my canker, and leave it there as long as I could stand it. Painful as hell, but seemed to make the canker go away much faster.

I used to get them all the time in high school, but I'm 33 now and haven't had one in years. Wonder if you just 'grow out' of them?

Originally posted by AKcrab:
I used to put salt directly on my canker, and leave it there as long as I could stand it. Painful as hell, but seemed to make the canker go away much faster.

I do the same thing. Works every time.

[Secret__Police]

Gargle with Vinegar.
Works great

I've battled the bastards for years and have tried basically everything. My old cure was as described above "putting salt on it directly until I couldn't stand the pain anymore" but after awhile, that stopped working.

What I did finally find that helps a lot is myrrh oil (myrrh=jesus present) applied direct a few times a day. You can find it at most health food shops. Within minutes, the pain subsides. And, unlike other remidies that also dull the pain, the myrrh helps heal the eruption, too. I used to go for weeks with a canker sore and now they've been reduced to two days or less.

Also, using a diluted mixture of myrrh and water as a mouth swisher a couple of times a week has greatly reduced the occurrence of sores.

Oh, and it's all natural, too!