Self-Care for Canker Sores

Sometimes you might feel a tingle in your mouth. And before you know it, it’s there. You have a canker sore.¹

Canker sores are small, painful sores that usually form on the gums, inside the lips and cheeks, and under the tongue.² Doctors do not know exactly what causes them. However, stress, certain foods, and small injuries to the inside of the mouth seem to contribute to them.¹

If you have a canker sore, you can relieve the pain:

• Mix one part hydrogen peroxide and one part water and apply it to the sore with a cotton swab. Then dab on a small amount of milk of magnesia. Repeat three or four times a day.²  

• Use a medicated ointment made for canker sores. Put the ointment directly on the sore as directed. You can get this at the drug store.¹

• Avoid hot or spicy foods that tend to bother the sore.²

Canker sores are usually not dangerous and go away on their own in about 10 days. If your canker sore lasts longer, you can’t eat, or you have a fever, see your doctor.

Call to Action

A canker sore can appear on your gums, inside your lips or cheeks, and under your tongue.

¹“Canker sores and cold sores.” American Dental Association, March 2005. www.ada.org/prof/resources/pubs/jada/patient/patient_48.pdf Accessed 2008.

²“MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Canker Sores.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, December 18, 2006. www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000998.htm Accessed 2008.