9 Scientific & Natural Ways to Get Rid of Your Canker Sores Quickly
Canker sores can be debilitating. These sores are insignificant in size, but they can affect your quality of life significantly. Canker sores can be very frustrating because it is not known exactly what causes them. Despite your best efforts, you now have a canker sore that you just can’t wait to get rid of.
The good news is, there are many natural ways to help your canker sores heal much faster. Follow these steps, and you will be on your way back to enjoying your life again in no time.
Oral Hygiene
Maintain a Natural Microbiome
Your mouth has a natural microbiome that helps it stay pH-balanced and keeps unfriendly germs away. When this oral ecosystem is disrupted, it may not only put you at risk for developing canker sores, but also may lengthen healing time and put your mouth at risk for infections. It’s important to pay close attention to your oral hygiene during this particularly vulnerable time.
Continue to Brush Your Teeth
You should continue to brush with a soft bristle toothbrush regularly even though you may want to skip brushing due to the pain. If you don’t already have an electric toothbrush, it may be time to consider one. When you brush with an electric toothbrush, you reduce the chance of accidentally poking your painful canker sore which could happen with the traditional toothbrush. Sometimes accidental trauma from brushing can trigger the development of canker sores in some individuals. When using an electric toothbrush, simply place the soft bristle against each tooth and allow the spinning action to do the work. Electric toothbrushes have also been shown to be superior to traditional toothbrushes with removing plaque.
SLS-free Toothpaste
There is evidence that brushing with a toothpaste that is SLS-free (sodium lauryl sulfate) may prevent and help speed healing of your canker sores.
SLS is a foaming detergent used in most major toothpastes. It is an irritant that can cause small invisible cuts to your mouth during brushing that may erupt into canker sores or can worsen an existing one.
You should experiment with different SLS-free toothpaste brands to find one that you like. It may also be a good idea to make the switch permanently if your canker sore is recurrent. Some people find that this simple switch keeps their canker sores away.
Use a Natural Mouthwash
It may help to switch from your commercial mouthwash to a natural homemade mouthwash without alcohol, so that you don’t dry out your mouth. A dry mouth increases acidity and can make it harder for your canker sore to heal.
Food Choices
Choose Non-acidic Drinks
Acidity is reported on a scale of 0-14, with 7 being neutral, 14 being highly alkaline, and 0 being highly acidic. It is generally preferable to consume foods that are more alkaline (high pH), especially when you have recurrent canker sores.
When choosing your drinks, pay attention to their acidity level. Choose a beverage with a higher pH value. Highly acidic (low pH value) beverages can hinder the healing process of your canker sore. For example, sodas commonly contain citric acid, phosphoric acid, and carbonic acid, and can be highly acidic.
It would be best to avoid sodas during your canker outbreaks. You may also know from experience that drinking lemonade or orange juice during your outbreaks hurts more than pin pricks, because of their acidity.
Cold teas (avoid scorching hot) may be a better choice, but note that some teas are more acidic than others. Coffee is also acidic, but if you enjoy your coffee in the morning, adding milk will help neutralize the acidity.
Choose Soft, Mild and Non-acidic Foods
Highly acidic foods such as citrus, tomatoes, and pineapple should be avoided. You may have found that it feels like chewing on barbed wire when you eat spaghetti because of the acidity from the tomatoes.
Certain foods are more acidic than others, and consuming foods that are more alkaline may be beneficial. A frequent recurrence of canker sores could be that your body is not pH-balanced, so pay attention to the acidity of foods that you consume.
Examples of alkaline foods include fruits and green leafy vegetables, tofu, and legumes. Examples of acidic foods include dairy, canned foods, processed meats, and sweets.
Click here for soft, nonacidic food choices to help your mouth heal faster.
Keep Your Mouth pH-balanced
pH stands for potential of hydrogen and is used to describe how acidic a substance is (0-14, 0 is most acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is most alkaline or basic).
After consuming acidic foods or beverages, don't brush right away. The acid from the drink can erode your teeth enamel. Instead, rinse out your mouth with water or an alcohol-free mouthwash.
There are test strips that can test your saliva or urine if you suspect your body’s pH is too low (too acidic). See more tips on how to balance oral pH here.
Micronutrients
Micronutrient deficiencies cause all types of problems to the body; having frequent canker sores have been shown to be related to certain deficiencies. Vitamin B-12, folate, lysine, zinc, and iron have the most data supporting their use for prevention and treatment of canker sores.
Keep a Food Journal
If you are a recurrent canker sore sufferer, you may want to look more closely into your diet and keep a log of foods that may trigger the appearance of your canker sores. Some common causes are food allergy, gluten intolerance, or a disruption of oral microbiome due to excessive consumption of acidic foods.
Other Noteworthy Mentions
Interestingly, yogurt helps some people heal their canker sores more quickly even though it has a pH of around 4.5 and is acidic. The benefits come from the live probiotic (Lactobacillus - friendly bacteria) that is in the yogurt. If the reason why you have frequent canker sores is because your oral microbiome is disrupted, finding ways to restore healthy bacteria may be your answer.
There is evidence that the Lactobacillus helps with healing by restoring healthy bacteria and eradicating unfriendly bacteria, such as H Pylori, that is commonly associated with production of acid and inflammation.
Some people find that placing Greek yogurt with active live culture near their canker sore helps soothe the pain and shorten the duration of their canker sores. Others find that eating yogurt regularly keeps their canker sores away.
A Word of Caution
Yogurt is acidic, so if your canker sore is triggered by acidity, it could worsen the ulcer. This underscores the importance of being your own advocate to sort out your personal triggers.
Challenging Convention
Chewing Sugar-free gum Stimulates Saliva Flow and Helps Heal Canker Sores Faster
Although it is commonly recommended that you should avoid chewing gum due to the mechanical irritation from chewing, a study conducted on children suffering from oral ulcers from chemotherapy showed faster healing when they were instructed to chew 6 pieces of sugarless gum daily for 15 days.
A clinical review written by Dr. Michael Edgar, DDS, PhD, Professor of Dental Science states that chewing sugarless gum increases the production of saliva and decreases oral acidity, and helps speed healing of oral ulcers.
Increased acidity in your mouth erodes the canker sores or oral ulcers and interferes with healing. Chewing gum is a great way to balance the pH of mouth because the increased saliva production is a natural way to maintain oral pH. Furthermore, saliva is a natural cleanser and and has antimicrobial properties.
In this case, the physiological benefits of chewing sugarless gum outweighed the risks caused by the irritation from gum chewing. It is important that you choose a sugarless gum, as the carbohydrates in sugared gums break down into acids, and may worsen your canker sore.
If you know from experience that chewing gum easily irritates, triggers, or worsens your canker sores, then it should be avoided. However, if you have not experienced oral irritations from chewing gum, then according to clinical studies, chewing sugarless gum increases saliva production and speeds healing of oral ulcers.
Conclusion
It has been challenging for medical experts to recommend a uniform treatment for canker sores because the triggers seem to be multifactorial and very individualistic. By following the simple steps above, you will help your canker sores heal faster and will be on your way to enjoying your life again.
