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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffTo relieve pain and speed healing:
- Rinse your mouth with salt water, baking soda (dissolve 1 teaspoon of soda in 1/2 cup warm water), diluted hydrogen peroxide or elixir of diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Be sure to spit the Benadryl out after rinsing.
- Cover lesions with a paste made of baking soda.
- Try over-the-counter products that contain a numbing agent, such as Orabase-B, Anbesol and Orajel.
- Avoid abrasive, acidic or spicy foods that can cause further irritation and pain.
- Apply ice to your canker sores or allow ice chips to slowly dissolve over the sores.
- Brush your teeth gently, using a soft brush and toothpaste without foaming agents, such as TheraBreath.
- Dab a small amount of milk of magnesia on your canker sore a few times a day. This can ease the pain and may help the sore heal more quickly.
