What can I do when I *DON'T* have canker sores to lower the odds of getting one?
August 27, 2010 8:07 PM Subscribe
A reverse canker sore question: People usually want to know how to get rid of them. I'd love to know that too, but what I really want to know is: what can I do when I *DON'T* have canker sores to lower the odds of getting one?
I hate canker sores! I'll go for long periods where I don't get any, but if I get one, I tend to get another before the first one has time to heal! Arrrgh!
What I really hate is that if I accidentally bite my lip, I know I'm doomed to end up with a frigging canker sore for the next ten days. I bit my lip two weeks ago! By the time that canker sore healed, I got two more. Argh three times!
I'm asking anonymously because canker sores are yucky :(
Are you answering anonymously because canker sores are yucky? Here's a temporary gmail address: ohdammitibitmylip@gmail.com
What can I do when I *DON'T* have canker sores to lower the odds of getting one?
I hate canker sores! I'll go for long periods where I don't get any, but if I get one, I tend to get another before the first one has time to heal! Arrrgh!
What I really hate is that if I accidentally bite my lip, I know I'm doomed to end up with a frigging canker sore for the next ten days. I bit my lip two weeks ago! By the time that canker sore healed, I got two more. Argh three times!
I'm asking anonymously because canker sores are yucky :(
Are you answering anonymously because canker sores are yucky? Here's a temporary gmail address: ohdammitibitmylip@gmail.com
What can I do when I *DON'T* have canker sores to lower the odds of getting one?
I've learned to avoid trigger foods that seem to bring them on for me - potato chips and pineapple mean a guaranteed canker sore in my world.
posted by cecic at 8:23 PM on August 27, 2010
posted by cecic at 8:23 PM on August 27, 2010
Some people are sensitive to a toothpaste ingredient called Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which has been known to cause canker sores. Here's a list of toothpastes that do not use this ingredient.
posted by TrialByMedia at 8:30 PM on August 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by TrialByMedia at 8:30 PM on August 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
Better, more regular brushing/teeth cleaning habits. I used to get cankers all the time so I upped my game and now I can't even remember the last time I had one.
posted by greenland at 8:35 PM on August 27, 2010
posted by greenland at 8:35 PM on August 27, 2010
Avoiding SLS never worked for me, but avoiding vinegar has made a big difference. (Warning, vinegar is in freaking everything, eg ketchup, mustard, marinades, etc so avoiding it is a real pain.) Not sure if the issue is acid or maybe the tannins in balsamic vinegar; I haven't done scientific tests on this because I am happy to overgeneralize if it means I can avoid getting canker sores. I seem to do okay with lemon juice substituted into salad dressing (so, some acids are ok?), but I don't drink tea or red wine so I haven't really tested the tannin issue.
I also find that if I avoid foods that give me little mouth injuries, like tortilla chips and hard crusts on French bread, I have a better chance of avoiding canker sores. I assume the little mouth injuries give the canker sore spirits a way to get in.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:39 PM on August 27, 2010
I also find that if I avoid foods that give me little mouth injuries, like tortilla chips and hard crusts on French bread, I have a better chance of avoiding canker sores. I assume the little mouth injuries give the canker sore spirits a way to get in.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:39 PM on August 27, 2010
I used to get cankers a lot. Every time I bit the inside of my mouth, and also when it was nearing my monthly.
I started using peroxide as a mouth rinse when I bit the inside of my mouth and it works really well. If I do still get a canker after that it seems to be much smaller and last only a few days instead of weeks.
I have Celiac Disease, so there is a physical reason why I get so many cankers. You might want to discuss with your doctor why you get so many. Mine is a nutritional thing, yours might be too.
posted by TooFewShoes at 9:32 PM on August 27, 2010
I started using peroxide as a mouth rinse when I bit the inside of my mouth and it works really well. If I do still get a canker after that it seems to be much smaller and last only a few days instead of weeks.
I have Celiac Disease, so there is a physical reason why I get so many cankers. You might want to discuss with your doctor why you get so many. Mine is a nutritional thing, yours might be too.
posted by TooFewShoes at 9:32 PM on August 27, 2010
My sores are generally brought on by stress and lack of sleep, both options which are somewhat preventable yet unavoidable as a college student. I generally get sucked into what I call my Spiral of Pain where I'll end up with more than 5 sores in my mouth at one time, which then causes me not to be able to eat or drink or talk coherently, and that just makes everything worse!!!
However, one thing I have found to work was to take Lysine supplements. I usually start them when i feel a sore forming, but sometimes, when I know I'll be super busy and stressed in a certain time period, I'll just start taking Lysine like a vitamin until my schedule's back to normal.
posted by astapasta24 at 9:43 PM on August 27, 2010
However, one thing I have found to work was to take Lysine supplements. I usually start them when i feel a sore forming, but sometimes, when I know I'll be super busy and stressed in a certain time period, I'll just start taking Lysine like a vitamin until my schedule's back to normal.
posted by astapasta24 at 9:43 PM on August 27, 2010
Lots of people swear by lysine supplements. Mine are usually triggered by citrus, so look out for lemonade and the like. And if you think you're going to get one, rinse regularly with salt water, which should help. If I rinse with salt water in the morning, at night and after every meal when a canker sore is forming, a lot of the time it won't form completely.
You can also get a medicine called Ora5, which is basically an iodine solution formulated for direct application to canker sores; if you're starting to get a sore, you can dip a cotton swab in this stuff and then stick it right onto the sore (it hurst like crazy but seems to help them heal).
posted by infinitywaltz at 10:17 PM on August 27, 2010
You can also get a medicine called Ora5, which is basically an iodine solution formulated for direct application to canker sores; if you're starting to get a sore, you can dip a cotton swab in this stuff and then stick it right onto the sore (it hurst like crazy but seems to help them heal).
posted by infinitywaltz at 10:17 PM on August 27, 2010
I take Lysine almost every single day to prevent canker sores. I'm prone to them when I am under stress and/or spend a lot time out in the sun.
Lysine hasn't let me down in a years and the only time I do get them is when I stop taking the Lysine.
posted by fenriq at 10:42 PM on August 27, 2010 [2 favorites]
Lysine hasn't let me down in a years and the only time I do get them is when I stop taking the Lysine.
posted by fenriq at 10:42 PM on August 27, 2010 [2 favorites]
I avoid sugar, citrus fruit and berries for this very reason. Sucks.
posted by fshgrl at 12:24 AM on August 28, 2010
posted by fshgrl at 12:24 AM on August 28, 2010
Some people are sensitive to a toothpaste ingredient called Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which has been known to cause canker sores
I had canker sores all my life. I also used a particular brand of toothpaste all my life. At one time or another, I have tried all the cures and preventatives listed above with little success. After changing toothpaste brands, I have not had a sore in nearly ten years except if I accidentally use the old brand for some reason. Two of my daughters have had the same experience. The old brand is a very famous brand of toothpaste and contains a high level of SLS.
posted by tamitang at 12:34 AM on August 28, 2010
I had canker sores all my life. I also used a particular brand of toothpaste all my life. At one time or another, I have tried all the cures and preventatives listed above with little success. After changing toothpaste brands, I have not had a sore in nearly ten years except if I accidentally use the old brand for some reason. Two of my daughters have had the same experience. The old brand is a very famous brand of toothpaste and contains a high level of SLS.
posted by tamitang at 12:34 AM on August 28, 2010
I'm prone to them when I am under stress and/or spend a lot time out in the sun.
Oddly enough, the more sun I get, the less likely I am to get canker sores, or any other minor health annoyance. The point is, I suppose, that you have to find out what's setting them off in your body. I know I get canker sores and cold sores (and zits, externally) in the middle of the winter when there is NO sun and thus, tons of stress and no natural relief. So, to answer your question, I avoid them by melting in the sun like a lizard on a rock. Also, cranberry juice is something to avoid.
posted by deep thought sunstar at 1:51 AM on August 28, 2010
Oddly enough, the more sun I get, the less likely I am to get canker sores, or any other minor health annoyance. The point is, I suppose, that you have to find out what's setting them off in your body. I know I get canker sores and cold sores (and zits, externally) in the middle of the winter when there is NO sun and thus, tons of stress and no natural relief. So, to answer your question, I avoid them by melting in the sun like a lizard on a rock. Also, cranberry juice is something to avoid.
posted by deep thought sunstar at 1:51 AM on August 28, 2010
Get enough sleep - mine seem to flare up a bit after periods of not enough sleep and more stress than usual.
I have a prescription for something called "Kenalog" which clears them up faster than anything else I've used.
posted by davey_darling at 3:21 AM on August 28, 2010
I have a prescription for something called "Kenalog" which clears them up faster than anything else I've used.
posted by davey_darling at 3:21 AM on August 28, 2010
I used to chew sugarless gum, which has sls as an ingredient. My sores stopped when I stopped chewing the gum.
posted by effluvia at 6:58 AM on August 28, 2010
posted by effluvia at 6:58 AM on August 28, 2010
People are ashamed of canker sores?
Vitamin C. This may not work for everyone, but it has been miraculous for me. I just pop a pill every day.
posted by O9scar at 8:24 AM on August 28, 2010
Vitamin C. This may not work for everyone, but it has been miraculous for me. I just pop a pill every day.
posted by O9scar at 8:24 AM on August 28, 2010
Staying hydrated and de-stressed has helped me.
posted by gramcracker at 9:56 AM on August 28, 2010
posted by gramcracker at 9:56 AM on August 28, 2010
I switched toothpastes a few times and it helped. Nothing magical, but you sometimes just have to find one that works.
True story: I once tried some new (now non-existent) Colgate Herbal Toothpaste and I got several canker sores that great and connected into one gigantic Pangaea canker sore. I thought I would die.
Also, what gramcracker said.
posted by 4ster at 10:12 AM on August 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
True story: I once tried some new (now non-existent) Colgate Herbal Toothpaste and I got several canker sores that great and connected into one gigantic Pangaea canker sore. I thought I would die.
Also, what gramcracker said.
posted by 4ster at 10:12 AM on August 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
I used to get really terrible canker sores on the insides of my cheeks. I once spent practically an entire week walking around with my mouth full of lukewarm tea, because the only time the sore didn't hurt was when my mouth was full of tea.
Anyway, a couple of years ago I started using a Colgate 360 toothbrush that has a little textured rubber tongue/cheek cleaner on the back of the head. As you brush your teeth, it sort of gently scrapes away at your cheeks. It's possible this is just a coincidence, but I haven't gotten any canker sores on the insides of my cheeks since I started using this kind of toothbrush.
posted by pluckemin at 1:15 PM on August 28, 2010
Anyway, a couple of years ago I started using a Colgate 360 toothbrush that has a little textured rubber tongue/cheek cleaner on the back of the head. As you brush your teeth, it sort of gently scrapes away at your cheeks. It's possible this is just a coincidence, but I haven't gotten any canker sores on the insides of my cheeks since I started using this kind of toothbrush.
posted by pluckemin at 1:15 PM on August 28, 2010
I used to get canker sores frequently, and after a little digging around online (not that I really recall what I looked at), I decided that it was because of a lack of iron in my diet (I was a not always conscientious vegetarian at the time). I started taking an iron supplement every other day or so and varied by diet a bit more, and now they rarely happen. So I'd look at diet first. And at mineral and vitamin intake.
posted by scdjpowell at 2:46 PM on August 28, 2010
posted by scdjpowell at 2:46 PM on August 28, 2010
2nding a daily rinse with Hydrogen Peroxide. Don't buy the expensive flavored stuff they sell for canker sores. The generic stuff in the brown bottle, mixed 50/50 with water, is all you need. It cures existing canker sores, and works as a preventive to keep them from reoccurring.
posted by COD at 4:24 PM on August 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by COD at 4:24 PM on August 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
Lysine. I take it when I begin to think I might get one. It keeps them at bay.
posted by mulkey at 5:46 PM on August 28, 2010
posted by mulkey at 5:46 PM on August 28, 2010
If you find that taking lysine helps, you might also consider adjusting your diet to include more lysine-rich foods (dairy products, meat, fish) and fewer arginine-rich foods (chocolate, nuts and seeds, onions and garlic, shellfish). Detailed lists of specific foods will come up if you google "lysine arginine ratio."
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 11:55 PM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 11:55 PM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
How to prevent one? Keep your mouth clean and don't scratch the tissue inside. This means brushing three times a day with a soft toothbrush, and using some sort of antiseptic rinse. I also floss every night and use a flouride rinse. Not sure if that matters, but it Works For Me.
I got a lot of canker sores when I first got my braces on, but since I've improved my mouth cleaning routine, I haven't had any.
posted by jrockway at 8:16 PM on August 27, 2010 [1 favorite]