When I say Canker sore, I don’t mean those caused by Hepatitis or anything, but the annoying sores on the gums and such that cause irritation.
Through my life I’ve had a whole lot of canker sores. Not as periodic as those with cold sores I suppose, but probably 10 times a year. I eat healthy (I absolutely love veggies and have to have a lot of them every day), though stress happens…
Anyway, I was wondering if an abundance of such canker sores is maybe an indicator of future problems with oral cancer.
Everyone in my family gets them and we have gotten them all our lives. I know a great many other people who get them as well. No one including our doctors has ever indicated that there was a cancer risk from them, and the Wiki article on them doesn’t make mention of it either. The spelling is similar but I don’t think that means anything.
I will say that sodium laurel sulfate could be a contributor, but thoroughly rinsing after using toothpastes that contain it is usually enough.
Out of curiosity: do you have a routine of using oral antiseptics and rinses like peroxide, listerine and other germ killers? If so, it might be **contributing **to the problem.
I will have to agree with hajario and Zsofia.
I have gotten Canker sores all my life, 2-3 a year. Then suddenly one summer, I had a massive outbreak with 5-10 at a time, continuously for months! I Googled the problem, learned about the the evils of SLS, and switched to Rembrandt (for canker sores). They were gone within days, and in the 7 years since, I have never had another single one since. I find it freakishly odd that I have not had ANY. But I’m okay with that.
I guess you can develop a sensitivity to something at any point in your life. Sodium Laurel Sulfate is everywhere. Its the ingredient that makes things foam. Its not good for you, in any of those products.
This certainly helped for me, along with a regimen of probiotics. Biotene works and is available in most large drugstores, instead of hunting for specialized “health food stores”
My spouse has recurrent sores on the lip. She can determine where one is going to be 24 hours or so before it becomes a serious discomfort. Her dentist has a laser that can be used to zap the place and prevent the sore. Costs surprising little, I’ve forgotten how much but I was quite surprised.
I used to get a lot, and it seemed correlated to taking vitamin C supplements, particularly if they were in my mouth a while before I swallowed (go to medicine cabinet, put tablet in mouth, go to kitchen to get glass of water to swallow it). Mine diminished when I cut back on Vitamin C and started swallowing it immediately.
But it could be totally unrelated - I probably take more Vitamin C when I’m getting sick, so the canker sores could have a different cause.
I’ve done a hell of a lot of research on this. I find it surprising that you say you’ve had “a lot” and then say 5-10 a year. There are poor souls like me and others on this board that get 5-10 in a month. I don’t remember the last time I’ve not had one in my mouth somewhere. Right now I’ve got 2, last week it was 4. That’s not a put-down or anything, just an attempt to fight some possible ignorance.
So what causes it? No one knows. I’ve talked with immunologists, biochemists, dentists, oral hygenists…no one can say the same thing. It’s either too strong an immune system, not strong enough, stress, caffeine, sugar, coffee, tobacco, exercise, not exercise, vitamin C, no vitamin C, iron deficiency, pH levels, and on and on. Yesterday, I was told it was clogged salivary glands that culture bacteria that eat at the flesh. I have my doubts.
What works for me is to switch to a non-SLS toothpaste. I use Thom’s of Maine. I also avoid chocolate, coffee, and pop as much as possible. Oranges, grapes, and anything sour taste like pain so I avoid those too. A lot of people dump salt on it, but I think that’s like cutting off your hand so that your finger doesn’t hurt, so I don’t do it. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t actually affect healing at all.
Though it does nothing for me, go to your denist and ask for a prescription for it. Ask for the Milk of Magnesia and Lidocaine mixture. (S)He’ll know what I’m talking about. It coats and soothes the sore. If you can’t stand the pain, go get Kanka from your pharmacy’s shelf. It hurts like hell upon application but at least it protects/numbs the area so you can eat.
Those sound like cold sores which are an entirely different thing.
You’re probably on to something there. One of the causes is irritation to the inside of the mouth. That’s why detergents/foaming agents in tooth paste and mouthwash can cause them. Isn’t Vitamin C a mild acid?
Yet another vote for the Rembrandt toothpaste, on behalf of my husband. He says that not only does it cause fewer outbreaks, but they are much less painful and go away quicker since he’s used the sodium laurel sulfate-free stuff.
See if your doctor or dentist will write you a prescription for Kenalog in Orabase. The base is made of something that really sticks to the gum, so the medication stays where it’s supposed to – in contact with the ulcer. (Canker sores are also called aphthous ulcers.)
I didn’t say 5-10 a year, I said about 10. Not all months do I get one, but sometimes I get 2-3 in a months time.
Yeah, I guess you could go around saying only the worse case counts as a lot, but sorry, real life doesn’t work that way. I get them a lot, you get them excessively.
However, in the 3 1/2 years I’ve known my wife, she has not had a single one, and she talks about her aches and pains a lot, so I would know about it if she had one. My parents rarely got them if at all while I was growing up and most of my friends have admitted to having them a couple times a year. Compared to my 2 or so a year, 10 or more is a LOT.
So I’m sorry that you have it worse than me, but don’t belittle what problem I do have, tyvm.
Also, my single reason bringing it up wasn’t to whine about it, but to ask if getting these frequently was an indicator or oral cancer. The tips were helpful though, I thank everybody that contributed and I went and bought some Rembrandt Canker sore toothpaste today.
I used to get canker and cold sores. I took Niacin (besides multi-vitamins in general that have B vitamins) 1-2 x a day for several days, til it went away. It may just be me, but that took care of it. I’ve not had either in years.