I didn’t mean to get everyone all worked up about this post- it’s not going to super exciting for everyone. And, it’s not about eating delicious food- more about things that disturb the eating process.
So I’ll just throw it out there and say that I’ve had canker sores before… and no it’s not herpes. They’re sores inside the mouth that are typically caused by stress or tissue injury and aren’t contagious! Anyone who’s suffered through one can tell you that they hurt really badly. Certain foods – including citrus or acidic foods can trigger a canker sore or make the problem worse. In some cases canker sores are caused by an underlying health condition, such as an impaired immune system; nutritional problems, such as vitamin B-12, zinc, folic acid,, or iron deficiency; and gastrointestinal tract disease, such as Celiac disease and Crohn’s disease.
Last fall I had a series of canker sores – at one point I had 5 in one month!!! It was awful. I was in pain and couldn’t help but spend the majority of my time putting Orajel on the sores (which does nothing but make your mouth numb) and searching everywhere to find out what was causing them and how I could prevent them. Most of the typical suggestions I had heard and tried before (Lysine, B-12, licorice root) Randomly, on some forum a person suggested to use natural tooth paste because most commercial toothpastes have a chemical, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, that can increase the occurrence of sores inside the mouth for some people. WHAT- my toothpaste may be to blame? I didn’t want to believe that this could be the case, but I was also willing to try anything so I went out and bought this:
Tom’s SLS-Free antiplaque plus whitening
With the absence of SLS the toothpaste doesn’t foam as much as normal toothpastes, but once I got used to that I started liking this toothpaste much more than my tube of Crest. Thanks to Tom I’ve been canker sore free since November 2009!!!! I’m no dentist and I’m not saying that using SLS free toothpaste will prevent canker sores for everyone, but it surely has worked for me. And, I can definitely say that I’ll never go back to using commercial toothpastes again.
I hope this post will help at least one person who suffers from canker sores. And even if you don’t have a problem with canker sores I’d highly recommend Tom’s toothpaste – it’s my favorite product of 2010!
I’m off to run 7 miles, eat breakfast, and perhaps go shopping. Hope everyone is having a great Saturday!
- Brittany
Brittany Mullins, HHC
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the tip! For anyone who can’t find this toothpaste or still gets canker sores while using it, my tried and true remedy is Listerine. As soon as I feel a sore coming on, I rinse 2x/day with Listerine for 30 seconds and it knocks it right out. If the sore has already started, the Listerine shortens the time the sore is there. The earlier you catch it, the better. Use the original type of Listerine (mint flavor is okay), not the whitening or total tooth care types.
Hey girl, it’s so funny you posted about this bc I get chronic canker sores as well. I get them so bad that my dentist has to prescribe me a steroid/numbing mouthwash to ease the pain – sometimes they even cause me to run a fever and like you I’ve had multiple of them at a time (like strips down the sides of my toungue, painful). I find that citrus triggers mine (oranges, lemons, limes mostly) and avoiding those foods seems to help. I also seem to get them worse in the warmer months vs. winter? I use Sensodyne, which is free of that chemical as well. It’s weird, bc if I use another type of toothpaste even once, I usually end up with one! These are some of the most painful things ever, so I can totally relate! I haven’t had one in quite some time (knock on wood) ever since getting my tonsils out… I’m hoping that these things may be somehow related!
I go to an herbalist regularly who does “muscle testing” to check for any needed herbs and supplements, (okay my friends call her a witch doctor) and one time I tested for copious amounts of folic acid like 9 capsules a day. So, I started that regimen and 2 days after a big canker sore appeared on the roof of my mouth. But it lasted only 3 days when it usually tortures you for more than a week so i guess getting the jump on folic acid supplementation helped.
Great post! I use to get canker sores occasionally but I haven’t had them for quite some time. Maybe it’s due to me having switched to natural toothpastes? That’ so cool.
you know, Brittany – now that i’m thinking about it, dan hasn’t had a canker sore since we switched over to Nature’s Gate toothpaste. it’s also SLS-free and i never thought to connect the two. that’s so awesome! SLS = sadface. we use aubrey organics hair care now and it too is SLS free, dan used to have dry scalp that would get super red and very sensitive, but since we’re SLS-free that’s gone away, as well. i guess SLS is one helluva irritant.
very interesting! I have terrible canker sores, especially when I’m stressed and/or eat a lot of citrus. They are killer, even sometimes on the side of my tongue and the back of my throat, ick! I may have to try this out although I haven’t had one in awhile it seems *fingers crossed* thanks for the info!
What a great piece of info…who would have ever known!
Well ha it’s not even November 2010 yet .. You said you haven’t had canker sores since nov 2010. But could maybe drinking ALOT of soda cause you to get canker sores?
Opps. I meant 2009. I changed it!
I’ve tried SLS-free toothpaste (VERVE, etc.), acidophilus, yogurt, pro-biotics, hydrogen peroxide, & avoiding nuts and acidic foods and I STILL am plagued by canker sores. Now I will try Tom’s t-paste, Listerine, and Lysine and rinse w/ Benadryl Allergy liquid..
I used to get multiple canker sores all the time. On the inside of my cheeks, on my tongue, and in my throat. I tried everything mentioned here. I even tried eliminating sugar and gluten. Nothing helped. I then started taking medication for reflux and they decreased dramatically. I now take a pepcid in the morning and one in the evening and rarely get a sore.