Home remedy treatments for getting rid of canker sores (aphthous ulcers).

The following lists contain some home remedy suggestions and common sense ideas that dentists will often suggest to their patients for getting rid of canker sores, or at least minimizing their occurence.

Common sense treatment ideas for canker sores.

Take steps to minimize your potential for soft tissue trauma.: Since trauma to oral tissues can trigger the formation of canker sores, you should reduce your potential for accidental injury. Patients with broken teeth, rough or broken fillings, or teeth with excessively sharp edges should be treated by your dentist. Patients with dentures that have sharp or rough borders should be repaired by their dentist too. People who have braces can cover pointed wires and brackets with orthodontic wax. When you brush your teeth, be thorough yet gentle.
Monitor the types of foods which make up your diet.: For some people certain foods have the ability to trigger outbreaks of canker sores. You might consider keeping a "food diary" as a way of monitoring which foods seem to have this effect with you. Once you have a few candidates in mind try a series of "elimination diets," each one specifically omitting one or some of the foods you most suspect.
Maintain a healthy diet.: Minimize the chance that your outbreaks of canker sores are associated with a nutritional deficiency by way of taking a multivitamin. Since canker sores can impair one's ability to eat, make sure you do maintain an adequate fluid and nutritional intake. The use of a liquid dietary supplement such as Ensure or Sustacal might be indicated.
Avoid foods which can irritate canker sores.: Avoid those foods and beverages that have the potential to irritate canker sores. Hard or crunchy foods, like potato chips, can easily abrade a canker sore's surface. Acidic drinks, such as tomato juice or citrus juices, alcoholic beverages, and spicy or salty foods can all produce a stinging response from canker sores.
Minimize your stress levels.: Reduce stress. Obviously this is easier said than done and in some cases, for some people, not a possibility. If you will just keep in mind however that stress can trigger canker sores, when you are stressed you can be on the lookout for the initial signs of canker sore development and begin with a suitable treatment sooner rather than later.

Canker sores home remedy treatments.

Use SLS free products.: If your toothpaste or mouthwash seems to precipitate or exacerbate your canker sores, try using formulations of these products that are less irritating such as those that do not contain sodium lauryl sulfate ("SLS") or alcohol.
Milk of Magnesia and Benadryl Allergy liquid.: Some people find that swishing a teaspoonful of Milk of Magnesia and Benadryl Allergy liquid (diphenhydramine) mixed 50:50 over their canker sores (and then spitting this mixture out) four to six times a day helps to minimize the pain they cause.
Herbal remedies.: Herbal sedatives such as chickweed and violet and also the herb rockrose, which is thought to reduce anxiety, have been suggested as treatments for canker sores. Please remember that herbal treatments must be used appropriately, and therefore should only be used in response to a recommendation by a health care professional.
Lactobacillus acidophilus: Daily consumption of the bacteria lactobacillus acidophilus is believed to be helpful in preventing outbreaks of canker sores. A good source of these beneficial organisms can be yogurt. Make sure that the yogurt you buy states that it does contain an active culture of acidophilus, not all types of yogurt do.