Around the same time, I had dental work done and had an ill fitting crown put on one of my molars and food would get caught around it and bacteria would form that I could taste. The dentist told me to use Listerine. At the same time I started using the Listerine I also started using Arm & Hammer baking soda toothpaste.

It’s been 4 YEARS SINCE I’VE HAD A CANKER SORE! It feels like I discovered the miracle cure! I don’t know if it is the Listerine or the baking soda toothpaste – but I don’t dare stop using either of them. I use the mouthwash every morning and night after I brush my teeth. Also, I just use the store brand version of Listerine – I find that it doesn’t feel like it burns my mouth as much. Also, I don’t keep it my mouth for longer than 10-15 seconds and then I rinse my tongue (because the alcohol in the mouthwash burns).

I started taking birth control pills a week and 1/2 ago and now have two canker sores – for the first time in years. I don’t know if that’s the cause – but it’s the only thing that has changed.

Last night I decided to try using the silver nitrate sticks. Learn from my mistakes – once you wet the end of the stick you have chemical cautery agent that will burn/kill whatever tissue it touches.
1) Make sure you dry the area of all saliva first, otherwise the silver nitrate from the stick will migrate to other tissue surrounding the canker sore.
2) Make sure you wear gloves because you get dark brown stains on anything it touches – your skin, your nails, your countertop, etc. This doesn’t show up until hours later and it doesn’t come off.

Yes, it burns for as long as you are touching the silver nitrate stick to the sore. Yes, it did cauterize the ulcer, and by doing so killed the raw nerve endings that were exposed by the ulcer. Even though I rinsed my mouth out afterwards, it still felt “raw” where I touched the stick. An hour later things started feeling better and I could eat without pain. It’s been about 24 hours since I did this and the canker sore is still covered, healing and not painful.

To sum it up, to PREVENT canker sores:
LISTERINE (morning and night)
BAKING SODA TOOTHPASTE

For IMMEDIATE attention:
cauterize with a silver nitrate stick (or another method).

You have my sympathy and I hope this works for you, too.

I also would like to comment to Ann (above), who said that cankers “were defintely not herpes related”. A claim like that is neither valid, nor credible. Some diseases hav various manifestations of symptoms for different chemistries in different people…couple that with another claim you posted: (that) “Dr’s and scientists don’t know what causes it”, and you hav a full blown contradiction of terms. (If we don’t know what causes it, you can’t rule out Herpes). I personally (hope) do not believe they are related, however I will not make a statement of fact based on conjecture or opinion. For the sake of accuracy (and avoidance of rumor and innuendo) I would hope you would avoid the same.

I hope everyone finds a cure that works for them! (in the meantime, I ~really~ love fresh pineapple…)

~MOMMY

There is another option for home use though. You could also try holding a full strength aspirin (not the 81 mg) on to the ulcer. This is painless because it also applies an anti-inflammatory(whereas silver nitrate does sting for a bit). Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid…key word being acid. If held on to the ulcer long enough for it to start to dissolve, it will eat away at the white part of the ulcer (sounds painful but it’s not I promise). This white part of the sore is dead tissue and it prevents fast healing. After it is removed, the clean tissue underneath should heal faster. If I use Aspirin, I have to repeat it a couple of times. It’s just not as strong, but each time, it decreases the swelling and makes it feel better, so there’s no problem repeating it. I do it as often as I see white ulcerative tissue and it speeds healing. Another warning: avoid putting the aspirin in direct contact with a tooth – people used to apply aspirin to aching teeth, but it can eat away at the enamel. Also, aspirin works best for more easily accessible ulcers since it has yet to be sold on a stick : )

For throat ulcers, if you can see them, you should be able to get a doctor to use silver nitrate.

Hope that helps.

PS all of the “caine” ending pain relievers for cankers should be used as sparingly as possible, because if used too much, they can actually slow healing.

For kittenprincess: you need to go to the doctor. Your temperature is high enough to consider strep/mono etc. Although cancker sores are not always related to any illness, they are open sores and can become infected. If you’re having that much swelling, you should go see someone in case you need an anti-biotic or steroid.