Contrary to what most people think, one should NOT further inflame the canker sore further by applying "remedies" like salt, alcohol, etc...They will only worsen the sore and prolong is stay. Canker sores are caused by many different viruses (herpes, cocksackie, adenovirus, etc...) They manifest itself when one's immune system is weakened (lack of sleep, stress, cold weather, etc...) There are NO effective medication to get rid of the viruses. The sores will disappear and heal on their own over time when one's immune system strengthens. Remedies for sores are focused on pain management. One can buy over the counter meds like benzocaine and dab it on the sore to numb it. You can also make your own by concocting a 50/50% mixture of benadryl/maalox solution and dabbing that on the sore. These meds will numb the sore for about 15min each time. Hope this helps.
You can become infected by one of these viruses simply by drinking from an unwashed cup at a restaurant. I don't know whether it numbs your mouth, but it would burn like hell as long as you have it in your mouth !
i don't know if putting salt directly on it will make it go away faster.. i know it numbs the pain but that's about it. i suppose salt kills some of the bacteria? <-- i don't know how that logic works. all i know is, get lots of sleep and drink more water.
See my previous post... They are aphthous ulcers, inflammation & necrosis of the oral mucosal layer affected by the virus.
lies! cankersores are a prolapse of the anal cushion, resulting in bleeding and painful swelling in the anal canal. -coolio
