How to Use Home Remedies to Treat Canker Sores

Canker sores are painful sores in the mouth, and are also known as mouth ulcers. Some causes of canker sores are eating hot food that burn the palate of your mouth, biting down on the inside of your jaw really hard, eating sour foods that stick to the lining of the cheek, eating an unhealthy diet, low immune system, stress, genetics and a minor injury of the mouth like a slip of the toothbrush or a jab from a toothpick. If your parents had canker sores, you are more likely to get them. If you take certain medications for rheumatoid arthritis, you are also more likely to get a canker sore. There are ways to treat canker sores that are easy and cheap.

Things You'll Need

• Wet tea bag Hydrogen peroxide Mylanta or milk of magnesia Benadryl Baking soda Salt Cranberry juice Honey Yogurt Earwax Aloe

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Instructions

• 1

  Apply a wet black tea bag to the canker sore and leave it on for a few minutes. The tannic acid in the tea bag can ease the pain from the canker sore.

• 2

  Dilute 1 tbsp. of hydrogen peroxide with a glass of water and swish it around in your mouth like a mouthwash. Hydrogen peroxide mixed with water makes a mouthwash that can disinfect the canker sore and make it heal faster. Use the hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash several times a day, but be careful not to swallow it.

• 3

  Take 1 tbsp. of Mylanta or Milk of Magnesia and swish it around your mouth. The Mylanta or Milk of Magnesia will coat the canker sore and keep it from getting infected. If the canker sore is already infected, do not use this home remedy, because the coating will protect the bacteria that caused the infection. You will know if the canker sore is already infected if you see a red ring around the canker sore and a grayish, yellow color. If it becomes infected, see a doctor for treatment.

• 4

  Mix 1 tsp. of Milk of Magnesia with 1 tsp. of Benadryl allergy liquid medicine and swish it around your mouth several times a day to help ease the pain caused by a canker sore. Make sure to spit this mixture out after swishing it around for a few minutes.

• 5

  Mix baking soda and water to make a paste, and apply it to the canker sore. Or mix 1 tsp. of baking soda with 1 tsp. of salt and 2 oz. of hydrogen peroxide. Use this as a mouthwash several times a day to help ease the pain from the canker sore and speed up the healing process. If this mixture is too strong, dilute it with some water.