Problem:

Canker sores affect 20 percent of Americans. They nestle between the folds of your inner checks and lips, on the base of your tongue, the floor of your mouth, or even on the soft palate. Eat anything acidic (ketchup, oranges, etc.)  and they’ll burn like fire. These painful critters, also called recurrent aphthous ulcers, are yellowish-gray or white with bright red borders. They’re tiny, round, and pop up individually or in clusters. Fortunately, they’re not contagious and usually heal within 7 to 14 days. But when they do crop up, they can make talking, eating, and even brushing your teeth a hair-raising experience.

Causes:

Stress, heredity, and certain foods such as chocolate, nuts, tomatoes, green peppers, strawberries, oranges, and other citrus fruits are top canker sore triggers. Sharp-edged corn chips and pretzels are just as guilty. They can irritate and injure your mouths lining and produce an ulcer. Studies show that vitamin and mineral deficiencies in B6, B12, folate, iron, and zinc are linked to the nasty sores. I n rare cases inflammatory bowel disorders such as colitis, celiac, and Crohn’s disease are the culprits.

Are They Serious?

In general, canker sores aren’t serious, except for the discomfort. But if they recur more than once a month, show up in bunches, appear very large, or last longer than 14 days, see your doctor.

How Do I Get Rid of Them?

Gargle with antacids. Grab some Mylanta, Maalox, or milk of magnesia from your medicine cabinet. Chew the tablet or, if you have the liquid form, shake the bottle, get a mouth full and slosh it around in your mouth. Just don’t swallow it. The thick, milky solution coats the canker soer and helps protect it from irritation and abrasion.

Numb the pain. If your canker sore is full-blown, dab on a topical anesthetic gel or cream designed for oral use containing benzocaine. Zilacin-B and Orajel are good choices to buy at to drugstore. Use the anesthetic before meals and more often if necessary, for comfort. But you probably should not apply it more than three or four times a day.

Vitamin E. Instead of swallowing the gel cap, crack open and rub the oil on the ulcer. You can use plain vitamin E liquid for your convenience. Four times a day, just saturate a cotton ball and dab it on the sore.

How To Prevent.

Stay away from toothpastes that contain SLS. SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) is the foaming agent found in toothpastes and has been known to cause canker sores.

Try toothpastes with triclosan. Triclosan is an analgesic and anti-inflammatory that can reduce canker sore recurrences. One product to try is Colgate Total.

Monitor your food. Keep a food diary to determine which foods trigger the sores. This way you will know what foods to avid. If you get canker sores often, cut back on citrus fruits, sweets, and sharp-edged salty snacks to see if it reduces the cancer sores.

Load Up On Vitamin C. Take 500 to 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C with bioflavonoid twice a day in pill form for five to seven days. If this doesn’t work, up the dosage. Don’t exceed 3,000 milligrams in a day. Warning: Mega doses of vitamin C can cause diarrhea in some people!

Take some lysine. Lysine is as amino acid supplement that works wonders for some men. Take a 500-milligram tablet one to three times a day to prevent cancer sores. If you get them often, taking one or two tablets daily can stop them from starting.