What exactly are canker sores and coldores? I often bite my lip and get a nasty open wound that I’ve always referred to as a canker sore, but I’m not sure if that’s correct.
Anyway, I highly recommend the salt technique. But, instead of applying pure salt directly to the wound, dissolve a bunch in water and gargle it. Its much less painful that way. A few times a day is all it takes.
Cold sores are oral herpes lesions, caused by the herpes simplex virus. Sores in the oral area are usually caused by HSV1, while sores in the genital area are usually caused by HSV2. HSV1 is extremely common, and most people are infected without knowing it in childhood. Cold sores often occur on or around the lips, frequently in clusters, like in this only slightly nasty picture.
Canker sores, on the other hand, are not caused by HSV1, but can rather be caused by several different things. They seem to appear most often on the inside of the mouth, such as in this unfortunate fellow. They look sort of like zits sometimes, don’t usually cluster like cold sores, and hurt like a muggafugga, especially the one inside the lower right part of my mouth right now.
I recommend living with Qadgop and rubbing some of that oral numbing stuff from the bathroom cabinet on it with a Q-tip occasionally. You know, the stuff he said to use for wisdom teeth?
Don’t fight, we have plenty of room in the house.
Elfbabe, because Qadgop already went to bed (Use Google, people!)
I just went to the dentist again today (in rural Japan) and asked him not to pull my mouth about because of my ulcers. He took one look and whipped out a little box which he said was a dermatological lazer. He zapped two of them to be going on with so I can see if it helps or not. He said he just took the surface off them. Well, they instantly felt better though the holes are now bigger. Hum. Will have to see if the good effect lasts or if they will just reinfect themselves bigger and more nasty. I will let you know what happens.
The box was really old fashioned - lime green plastic with big square buttons. Wonder if it is really OK to lazer them???
There is a product called Orabase-B that works well, also. It forms a protective cover over the sore, and numbs it at the same time. It tastes nasty, but works like a charm.
Skerri, who is not a pharmacist, but works in a pharmacy…
AS I understand it they are also thought to be stress related. My employer is going through bankruptcy, and while I don’t feel stressed, perhaps this is the manifestation?
I’m going to look for the pills recommended and I’m going to look for some different remedies to numb the pain (like the Orabase-B stuff), 'cause the little fiuckers hurt. And the worse part is thatI usually only have a few days between them. 7-10 days and they go, and usually just a few days later I can feel one starting. Ick.
Thanks, elfbabe, that was really informative.
I popped in to mention the L-Lysine, but I see a couple of folks have already mentioned. I find it’s very effective to speed healing and if used at first indication (the tingle before it’s a wound) then it’s less severe. At fist tingle I start taking 3 or 4 3 times a day.
Ya know, it’s my firm belief that canker sores are like zits: if you leave them alone, they will go away by themselves. But who can leave them alone?
So you might as well do something that doesn’t do any harm. It makes you feel like you’re doing something constructive, and having some “medicine” on them discourages you from constantly fiddling with them. So I dab lemon juice on zits, and I use full-strength hydrogen peroxide on a Q-tip on my canker sores.
And, surprise, they always go away!
My girlfriend told me once to try rubbing salt onto one particularly persistent sore I had, and I told her she was crazy. The next day when it was still there and seemed to be getting even bigger (and certainly more painful), I gave in to her sadistic demands that I try the salt.
It hurt like a sonofab****, but damned if the thing wasn’t gone the next day. I’ve been rubbing them with salt ever since, and they’ve not lasted very long.
Salt sounds like torture and I’m not into that. But I might try it on the next one.
That lazer thingy that he did on my two sores? It worked! This morning they are barely there. They were treated just at their peak of awfulness, no sign at all of healing. So I think we can safely say it works! When I go back tomorrow I shall ask him to do the one on my tongue that won’t let me eat or sleep…
I will second (well, fourth or fifth at this point) the recommendation of the Rembrandt toothpaste. This has made a huge difference to me.
Also, I find that eating foods with monosodium glutamate (MSG) tends to cause canker sores for me. From what I’ve read, MSG acts by stimulating (perhaps in my case, irritating) the lining of the mouth to achieve its flavor-enhancing properties.
Last time I had one, there was a new product out that formed a durable protective coating. It was some kind of epoxy, I think. Like Superglue. This was different from the Orabase numbing-type products. It was too chemical for me, but might be the right choice for someone.
