How can I soothe my 4 year old's cold sores?

September 6, 2008 1:48 PM

My 4 year old has cold sores inside of his mouth and they are understandably driving him crazy. What can we do to give him some comfort? Homeopathic or pharmaceutical suggestions both welcome.
posted by odragul to health & fitness (33 comments total)

I wouldn't recommend homeopathy.
posted by Hargrimm at 1:56 PM on September 6, 2008 [10 favorites]

Back when I had braces, the only thing that would soothe the blistery pains was Zilactin. I can't figure out which exact product it was from their website, but whatever it was put a plastic coating over the sore parts and protected them from further damage. Worked great, but tasted terrible until it was dry. Might be kind of difficult to get onto a 4 year old.
posted by phunniemee at 1:56 PM on September 6, 2008

We just went through this with my almost-3-year-old, and it was a nightmare. What helped him was frozen strawberries (from the freezer section), cut up so he could eat them with a spoon, and frozen, slushy applesauce. And as much ibuprofen as the dosing chart on the label would allow.
posted by ROTFL at 1:59 PM on September 6, 2008

Has his physician's opinion/diagnosis been sought already?
posted by batmonkey at 2:02 PM on September 6, 2008

Are they herpes? Are 4 year olds allowed to take L-Lysine? Ask your doc because it seems to help. If they're canker sores, licorice is suppose to help (you can get these lozenge sort of things) but I haven't had much luck with them.
posted by small_ruminant at 2:02 PM on September 6, 2008

Ice works for me. Popsicles too.
posted by fshgrl at 2:03 PM on September 6, 2008

A dab of vanilla extract has an Anbesol-like effect.
posted by juliplease at 2:07 PM on September 6, 2008

If they're really cold sores (herpes), I'd highly recommend seeing your doctor for treatment options.

If they're canker sores (not herpes), I've had luck rinsing with salt water and avoiding citrus/acidic foods.
posted by tristeza at 2:15 PM on September 6, 2008

I get miserable canker sores--and these things are the best ever:
http://www.cankercover.com

They both numb the area and act like a bandaid--keeping you from poking it with food bits, etc.
It seems as though they'd work on any sore inside of the mouth.

I find them at the CVS drug store here in the dental section with all the Anbesol-type products.
posted by divka at 2:19 PM on September 6, 2008

A little bit of clove oil, or letting him chew a whole clove might help.

This will only work if your 4-year old likes the taste.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 2:24 PM on September 6, 2008

http://www.cankercover.com
posted by 26.2 at 2:52 PM on September 6, 2008

The best thing I've ever used for the discomfort of cold sores and canker sores is Campho-Phenique--available at any drugstore. It's a kind of oily liquid (camphor preparation)...just daub it on w/ a finger or Q-tip. If he can leave his mouth open for a few seconds to let it penetrate and "dry" a little, that is helpful, makes the relief last longer. Your son may not like the flavor but that goes away within seconds...he can even spit it out if it bothers him, after he's let it dry on the sore a bit; the discomfort is reduced considerably for around half an hour or more. You can reapply as needed. If he learns to do it himself, he might not resist as much. Eating soft bland foods does help in not aggravating. The canker cover mentioned by divka above sounds like it might be even better. For a child of his age w/ cold sores (not canker sores), I ditto the suggestion to see a doc...but it is the weekend so maybe some of the other ideas will help until you can get him in.
posted by mumstheword at 2:57 PM on September 6, 2008

I had awful, frequent canker sores starting as early as I can remember. In college, when I was searching in vain for something like Canker Cover, a pharmacist recommended regular (not "mega-dose") vitamin C supplements. I was dubious, but I figured it was worth a shot.

I don't know why extra vitamin C would help (I eat well in general), but it's been a life-changer.

If I feel a canker sore getting started, I take a vitamin in the morning and one at night. The buggers go away in a couple of days rather than weeks. If I stay on the regimen, they are very infrequent.

YMMV, IANAD, etc. but I wish I'd learned this years earlier. Good luck to you and your son.
posted by CruiseSavvy at 2:59 PM on September 6, 2008

My 10 year old's allergist gave us this recipe to relieve her canker sores: two tablespoons benadryl, two tablespoons maalox, 1 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide... swish mixture in mouth, spit out and rinse. Seemed to do the trick.
posted by maloon at 3:04 PM on September 6, 2008

If they're really cold sores (herpes), I'd highly recommend seeing your doctor for treatment options.

If they're canker sores (not herpes), I've had luck rinsing with salt water and avoiding citrus/acidic foods.

Seconding this. Figure out which they are.
If they're canker sores, I've seen a few things recommended, eg dabbing with Milk of Magnesia.
I used to get them all the time, but figured out that they were often caused by vinegar (eg in salad dressings or ketchup). Once I stopped eating vinegar, I got canker sores much less often. (This doesn't help while you have some, but it might help prevent them coming back)
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:24 PM on September 6, 2008

For canker sores, putting some baking soda (or baking soda toothpaste, which tastes better) on them at night seems to really help. Usually they are nearly gone by morning.
posted by exceptinsects at 4:17 PM on September 6, 2008

alum - it can be found in the spice section or the grocery store (it's used in pickling). There will be a little bit of a sting but it'll work wonders for him. Make a weak solution and have him gargle with it every 2 or 3 hours.

As a bonus it makes really really awesome crystals. Dissolve as much as you can into two cups of water then heat the water to dissolve some more. After it's supersaturated pour the water into a small vase and dunk a piece of string into the water. As the water cools it'll make a big crystal along the string. Yay science!
posted by bowmaniac at 4:45 PM on September 6, 2008

This wasn't your question, but in case anyone else comes across this question, this is most likely a primary herpes I outbreak. Treatment exists but must be started in the first couple days -- this can reduce the duration and severity of the outbreak and may reduce future recurrences. Lots of good suggestions here for pain relief.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 5:32 PM on September 6, 2008

Slarty Bartfast is actually probably wrong, so please don't be alarmed just yet.

Unless they're on the gums themselves, or the roof of the mouth, they're almost undoubtedly canker sores, not cold sores. Cold sores are incredibly rare inside of the mouth, and if they show up, according to everything I've read, they'll be on the gums or the roof -- not the cheeks, inner lips, etc...

Nobody's too sure what causes or prevents canker sores, though there are some theories. If it's canker sores, you might try searching for toothpastes that do not use Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.
posted by twiggy at 6:51 PM on September 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

I was going to say what Twiggy just said. But now there's not really much point. I don't even know why I'm posting this.
posted by Dr. Send at 7:04 PM on September 6, 2008

Swish with a highly diluted hydrogen peroxide solution, and avoid toothpaste with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.
posted by Manjusri at 7:31 PM on September 6, 2008

I used to get them when I was a kid and it was VERY painful. What helped some were frozen things like popsicles and frozen fruit (my father is a dentist, btw, so this was what he gave me).
posted by FlyByDay at 7:44 PM on September 6, 2008

I get canker sores relatively frequently, and the best treatment I've found is tea. Sometimes I'll just sit with a mouth full of lukewarm tea -- as long as the tea is in contact with the sores, they don't hurt. It's not a long-term solution, but it provides temporary comfort. I just use plain old Lipton-type tea; decaf is fine, and you can add sugar to it too (I put sugar in mine and it doesn't sting).
posted by pluckemin at 8:17 PM on September 6, 2008

Nthing the canker-sore hypothesis. I used to get the two confused. Cold sores are a much bigger deal, and if you get them, you'll probably be getting them occasionally for the rest of your life. (My girlfriend gets them. She has one right now, so I can't kiss her until it goes away.) Internal sores like what you describe are probably canker sores (just playing probabilities here, not diagnosing) like everyone gets sometimes, often in reaction some kind of abrasion, cut, or bite on the inside of the mouth or cheek. If he's got a bunch, maybe he's eating something sharp (chips?) too quickly or biting his lip a lot. I know when I get one from biting my lip or the inside of my cheek, it swells up a little and I end up biting it again. Really sucks. They go away after a week or so in my experience, and I've had no luck making them go away sooner. I've read that sodium lauryl sulfate can be troublesome for people who get canker sores very frequently, but good luck trying to find a toothpaste without it. I couldn't find one that didn't seem shady (Cherokee Hair brand?). Also, I haven't found any home remedies that worked for me, and all of them involved doing something that stung so bad that I'd never dream of trying to get a four-year-old to do them. On the other hand, when I was a kid, my parents gave me some kind of over-the-counter numbing agent (Neosporin is the name that comes to mind, but that might be for something else) that didn't make them go away faster, but made them numb (very numb, so make sure you don't get it all over the kid's mouth).
posted by ErWenn at 8:17 PM on September 6, 2008

When I was a kid my mom would use a styptic pencil to scrape away the sores. It did seem to do the trick, though it tasted kind of crappy and was uncomfortable for me.
posted by starscream at 8:42 PM on September 6, 2008

Not an answer to the search for relief, but it may be hand foot and mouth disease, (Coxsackievirus) a no big deal kids virus.
posted by InkaLomax at 8:53 PM on September 6, 2008

Slarty Bartfast is actually probably wrong, so please don't be alarmed just yet.

Ack! I know better than to diagnose someone over the internet. Primary herpes virus infection can cause blisters and/or shallow ulcers inside the mouth, outside the mouth, on the gums, on the tongue, even on the chin or the nose. The appearance can be highly variable, the question made me think of it just because no other oral lesions are marked by as much pain as herpes. The peak time for a first infection is around ages 3-5. At least 50% of the population has evidence of past infection.

It is true that it could be any of a number of other viruses including Coxsackievirus and Adenovirus. And it is also true that for most kids all of these things are normal childhood illnesses that cause no lasting harm, so please don't be alarmed.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:41 PM on September 6, 2008

Slarty - where do you get your information? Everything I've ever read says that's just wrong - they don't appear inside the mouth except for on the gums or the roof.

Source 1, Source 2, Source 3, Source 4 -- all found via a google search that does not even include the word "canker" -- google search for: cold sore inside mouth....

It's nothing personal, and I'm not trying to start a debate... but the manner in which you write seems somewhat "medical" and I'm curious where you're getting your information since everything I've ever read says that the only cold sores showing up inside the mouth will be on the gums or the roof -- making them almost mutually exclusive from the locations where canker sores would show up.
posted by twiggy at 12:40 AM on September 7, 2008

When my daughter had ulcers on the inside of her throat she was give xylocaine for pain relief.
posted by rodgerd at 1:03 AM on September 7, 2008

Abreva is expensive for the small amount you get in the tube, but it works and works fast. According to their website, it is "the only non-prescription cold sore medicine approved by the FDA to shorten healing time and duration of symptoms," which, yes, is marketing but I can vouch for its effectiveness.
posted by Houstonian at 3:22 AM on September 7, 2008

That's a good product, Houstonian, and my girlfriend uses it, but odragul should definitely make sure their kid has cold sores and not canker sores or some other problem before treating the problem with a cold-sore medication, even if it is over-the-counter.
posted by ErWenn at 9:36 AM on September 7, 2008

If they are canker sores that he has often, try changing toothpaste. I had them all my life until I changed from C**st to something else. If I use my old brand for even one day, I will get a canker sore. In the meantime, buy some grape juice concentrate (the frozen kind) and apply it to the sores.
posted by tamitang at 10:06 PM on September 7, 2008

Ok, now that I am back from vacation and near a computer, I'm here to defend my honor and convince my detractors, because I am a wanker like that. Here's what Nelson's Textbook of Pediatrics says:

Herpes gingivostomatitis most often affects children 6 mo to 5 yr of age, but is seen across the age spectrum. It is an extremely painful condition with sudden onset, pain in the mouth, drooling, refusal to eat or drink, and fever of up to 40.0–40.6°C. The gums become markedly swollen, and vesicles may develop throughout the oral cavity, including on the gums, lips, tongue, palate, tonsils, and pharynx ( Fig. 249-1). The vesicles may be more extensively distributed than typically seen with enteroviral herpangina. During the initial phase of the illness there may be tonsillar exudates suggestive of bacterial pharyngitis. The vesicles are generally only present a few days before progressing to form shallow indurated ulcers that may be covered with a yellow-gray membrane. Tender submandibular, submaxillary, and cervical lymphadenopathy are common. The breath may be foul as a result of overgrowth of anaerobic oral bacteria. Untreated, the illness resolves in 7–14 days, although the lymphadenopathy may persist for several weeks.

odragul, I do hope your child is starting to feel better.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 5:58 PM on September 10, 2008