Just before bedtime this evening my 5 year old son started crying and told me the inside of his mouth hurt. I looked and saw that he has a canker sore on the inside of his cheek (toward the back of his mouth). I tried ice chips but that didn't help . I tried Anbesol but it stung and made him cry even more. After about almost 2 hours of crying he finally fell asleep (either from sheer exhaustion or from the Motrin finally kicking in and taking the edge off of the pain). Does anybody know of a better way to take away the pain of a canker sore? Are there any canker sore medications that don't burn or sting when first applied? Any advice is most appreciated! Thank you!
Hi D.,
I got canker sores often when I was young. Now if I get them I dab Tea Tree oil on my finger and dab the sore. It doesn't taste very good but they are usually gone in 2 days. Instead of 2 weeks.
Hope this helps.
J. M.
http://www.HealthyFamilyGoGreen.com
It helps me to swish equal parts (1 tsp. each) hydrogen peroxide and water in his mouth. They go away quickly after that.
http://www.colgateprofessional.com/products/Colgate-Oraba...
this is what i have found to help best. it is a paste so it stays in place and it doesn't sting. and keep using the motrin to help him with the pain until they heal...
D.,
This same thing just happened with my 2 yr. old girl. I know this will sound strange, but the pediatricians office said to mix equal parts Maalox and Benadryl. Very odd, I know. I was skeptical, but it worked for us. Due to her size I only gave her one teaspoon every four hours as needed. You may want to place a call into his doctor's office to ask about it and the amount he should take for his size. We did not have to continue this treatment for more than two days max. I hope your little guy feels better soon. Those hurt!
I got these All the time as a child! the best thing i can suggest is a peroxide rinse. they now make some mouthwashes with Peroxide in them instead of alcohol, just check the lables. Used every night in the bedtime routine can be a great preventitive measure too.
or you can go the old school route and mix a small amout of hydrogen perixide in water to swish, if he can be trusted not to swallow, but it doen't tase nice.
Oh, also i used to take vitamins with Acidofolis (sp?) and eat yojurt regularly.
D.,
For the pain, try HurriCaine. See here: http://www.beutlich.com/consumer/hurricaine.html I prefer the gel, as it seems to adhere and last longer. It's the same quality as dentists use to numb you a bit prior to giving you novacaine. No prescription is required but you generally have to ask for it at the pharmacy window.
Preventatively, it is believed that L-Lysine tablets work. Both my boys have paternal relatives who regularly get canker sores. I give the 5 year old half a tablet per day and the 8 year old a whole tablet.
Best wishes,
B.
Years ago the doctor told me to use pepto bismol for canker sores. Don't take a dose of it, just put a very small amount in your mouth and maneuver it to the canker sore. Sometimes I even put it on a cotton swab. It numbs it some and gets rid of the acid. Try to "hold" it on the sore as long as possible.
Vanilla Extract works. I just put it on a Q-tip. It does sting at first, but then it numbs the canker sore. Good luck!!
canker sores are very painful and can be a side effect of someone being run down - you actually feel ill. One thing that is supposed to help is to apply honey directly to the sore. Honey is a natural antibacterial agent and promotes healing. There is no otc medication that is effective to get rid of them. Anbesol and Kanka are just numbing agents. The only rx that works is a steroid ointment... I don't know if it burns when applied. We have a med in our office called debacterol and is only available in the dds office. It burns when applied but the pain is gone immediately and the sore is healed . Some toothpaste with sodium laryl sulfate causes these sores as well as spicey foods or any injury -biting the cheek or tongue. Hope this helps.
At the drugstore, behind the counter (you have to ask the pharmacist but it is not prescription, it just needs refrigeration) there is a product called Lactinex. It comes in crunchy tablets or powder that you can mix with milk. You chew them with milk and it helps restore the natural "flora and fauna" of your body. I have used this product since I was a kid and found them really helpful. I get canker sores from too much sugar or just eating poorly. Yogurt also helps. Lactinex is a probiotic- just helps set your body "right". Or- probably the best first defense- call your pediatrician and see what he recommends. Good luck.
D., My daughter gets these alot. It is due to the ph levels in the mouth getting to acidic. Certain people are more prone to them. Anyway, cut back on acidic things like oranges & sodas and that will stop them from multiplying. Then to treat actual sore, I have found it best to paint it with Mylanta. This doesn't burn or sting and helps change the mouth ph balance so that the body can heal itself. I have even had daughter hold little cotton soaked with it on sore and next morning it was better. BTW my daughter is four. Best of luck to you and hope this helps.
Let me tell you. When I get stressed, I get any where from 1 to 10 canker sores in my mouth at once. To help ease the pain, get a Q-tip soaked with hydrogen peroxide. Apply to sores. It will sting at first, then it becomes a relief. After about 30 seconds or so, rinse mouth out. Do not swallow. Right off the top of my head, I can't remember the name of the medication that helped me too. Just go to the pharmacy and ask for white, speckled, chalky pills that help with canker sores. I think it helps balance the acid in the stomach. It is refridgerated medication. You don't have to have a prescription. I'll try to get the name of the medicine today. I haven't had cancer sores in about 2 years so I am out of the medicine. I promise this will help. Good Luck!
My daughter used to get them and the Dr said to get some Vitamin E capsules (the gel kind), cut the tip off and smear the gel on the sore. It doesn't have any taste. Within 1 day, her mouth was all clear. Not sure if it helped with the pain, but she never cried after I put it on. At the time she was about 6 mos old. If that doesn't work, you can always call any pharmacy and ask the pharmacist what would help. Good luck!
My only additional comment after reading all the rest is this;
buy Culturelle asap. It is a tasteless odorless probiotic that you add to a glass of water. It will reset the natural flora in his system and should prevent more outbreaks.
Culturelle is available over the counter.
to read more about this and other info go to
The world's best pediatrician and what an amazing website-S.
yeah, cold is not good. warm salt water rinse!
orthodontists recommend it for the sores that are caused by braces. it really works!
You might check his hands and feet for blisters. If they are there, he might have hand, foot, and mouth.
Good morning D.,
At his age all I can think of is to gargle w/some salt and water....many kids tend to swallow when they gargle...hope this helps.
Use a spice called ALUM...It will burn like putting salt on a wound and he will probably cry but if you put it on there and let it sit for a min. or 2 and do that everyday for a few days it will go away...I get them all the time and my mom has had me using that simce i was young and now my daughter gets them and when i have used it on her it would go away after a few days i would say 3 days tops sometimes longer if the sore gets hurt again like my daughter has one on her cheek and she bits almost everyday but she is only 2 1/2 so she doesn't really understand how to be careful when she is chewing....also once the Alum is applied it will take some of the pain away....i would always apply it before i ate that way i could eat with out a propblem! Good luck and i hope this helps!
Hi D., I hope this information helps. Usually canker sores are caused by to much yeast. My daughter had them alot when she was little. The best thing that worked for her was plain yogurt.It did work for her and others that I know who have had to deal with canker sores.
there are medications that are over the counter check with the pharm. they will be able to help you.
The canker sorre will go away on its own, you just need to manage the pain until then. I use Orajel (the same stuff for my baby's teething).
Sounds strange but it works for me.
It's home remedies that I grew up with.
1- Take warm water and add salt. Gargle and spit.
2- Another more savage theory-
squeeze lime juice right on it!!!
3- The BEST however has been Melaleuca herbal oil
it's antiseptic and antifungal
I know I'm crazy but I usually just go down the line and one works!!!
Pelucha
I find that for my kids, vitamin E works.. I get the liquid capules and poke a hole in it and put some on my finger, or my kids' finger and rub it on the canker sore. I do have to do this pretty frequently but they do go away. Good luck!
