*clicky* ~`~ Canker Questions ~`~ *clicky*
health advisory
Hospital
Doctor Yu
2007-11-8 19:09:54
In some cases, switching toothpastes can prevent mouth ulcers from occurring, with some being able to reduce the occurrence of ulcers by approximately 80%. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (sometimes referred to as sodium lauryl sulfate or simply SLS), a detergent found in most toothpastes, is thought to increase the likeliness of an occurrence of mouth ulcers. Using toothpaste free of this compound has been found to help many people by reducing the amount and size of ulcers and in some cases, completely stopping them. A few individuals have noticed that switching to a toothpaste with Baking Soda prevented reoccurance of mouth ulcers.
I don't really know what causes them..but I've noticed if I drink a lot of soda or eat a lot of chocolate i'll get one like..later that day! I get them ALL the time and the best thing to get rid of them quickly (within a day or two) is taking "Lysine" pills. You can buy them at Walmart or CVS probably and they're pretty cheap..anbesol or chloroseptic usually numbs them good til the Lysine kicks in to get rid of them. Gargling w/ salt water is supposedly good for them too although I never bother with it :-) I've never had them spread..Untreated it takes about 5 days to go away. They are not lethal, lol. The holes..i have no idea but that indicates that they'll hurt like mthr f'rs. The worst thing you can do to it is bite it.OW.or eat something w/ ketchup..that stings them. Ok..i'm done.
Amazingly, the cause of canker sores isn't really known. Although, you can somewhat determine what triggers them for you. Some people are prone to getting sores when they're under stress. Sores can also appear after trauma to the mouth, from like a break in the skin caused by a dental procedure or by biting the tongue or cheek. There's some evidence that food allergies, viral infections, and dietary deficiencies (in particular, iron, folic acid, or B12) can also trigger canker sores. They also tend to run in families, so they appear to have a genetic link.