Canker sore is one of the most common health problem affecting your oral section. Women are researched to develop more canker sore than men. You may have one or more than one canker sores at a time, and they may appear as one group called a crop, or individually inside your mouth. Although most canker sores are believed to heal without requiring medical treatment, the caused pain during the breakout can be excruciating. Hence, people are seeking for various methods that may be able to relieve this pain significantly.

Does salt help canker sore?

One of the most popular remedy for healing painful canker sore is salt. Many people suffering from this mouth ulcer use salt as home remedy as it is found easily, affordable, and easy to use. It is known as an effective yet natural antiseptic with anti-inflammatory properties. On many online sites concerning mouth ulcers, people are exchanging their experiences using salt as canker sore treatment, and most of them are satisfied with what the thing does to their painful oral wound.

Canker sore is commonly white and surrounded by reddish lining. This painful ulcer may appear as a small-sized zit-like bump initially, but develops into a larger, whitish open wound gradually. As an open wound, mouth ulcers are infested by germs and bacteria that reside inside our mouth, aggravating it and may make it even more painful. Salt, in this case, will help killing these infesting bacteria and thus, promote faster healing.

How do we use salt for canker sore?

A vast number of canker sore sufferers have been benefited by the use of salt as the easiest and affordable home remedy for this mouth-lining wound. Based on their reviews, some found relieved pain right after the salt is applied onto the wound site, and some others even experienced faster healing.

If you decide to give salt a try for your mouth ulcer, you can either pour it directly onto the wound or use it as salt rinse or saline solution to gargle the mouth with. Whichever method you decide to use, you need to make sure first that you are using good quality salt and that your mouth ulcer is not associated with other potentially major health issues.

Use It Directly

Salt can be poured directly onto a mouth ulcer. However, this will definitely sting. Salt is a very strong antiseptic agent, which will directly fight any bacteria and germs infesting an open wound. Therefore, you need to prepare yourself for this before putting any amount of salt onto your canker sore.

If you have a canker sore on the side or beneath the tongue, try to pull your tongue out and hold onto it. Dry your wound site with a tissue or cotton bud and apply a very small pinch of salt afterwards. Leave it there for about a minute before rinsing your mouth out with lukewarm water. You can also apply the salt gently using a cotton bud, especially when it is located is less “reachable” area of the mouth.

Another method for using salt directly on a canker sore is by putting salt onto the sore for 10 seconds before spitting it out and repeating this method several times before rinsing the mouth out with water. This will help numbing the wounded lining and thus, relieve the caused pain and heal it faster.

Read Also : Can you pop a canker sore?

Use Salt Rinse

If you think putting salt directly onto your canker sore will cause an unbearable pain, you might want to use it as a salt rinse. This will still sting, yet more bearable. To help your canker sore, make thick salt rinse by dissolving ½ teaspoon of salt with 100 ml lukewarm water. Use the solution to rinse your mouth several times, holding it on the specific canker sore. The salt and warm water will help kill the infesting bacteria, numb the wound, and hence, relieve the major pain.

Both pinch of salt and salt rinse commonly help getting rid of canker sore-induced pain for several hours and when applied regularly, promotes faster healing.

Can we use salt for canker sore on kids?

Please put in mind that putting salt onto a canker sore might really hurt. Most adults shed some tears when first trying this remedy. Therefore, salt is not advised to be used for canker sore in children, as this might be traumatic. With children, you are advised to use more gentle solution for canker sore, such as hydrogen peroxide or alcohol-free mouthwash. These, similar to salt, will also help relieving pain during canker sore breakout.

If you insist on using salt as a home remedy for kids’ canker sore, make it into thinner saline solution by mixing ¼ teaspoon of salt with 150 ml lukewarm water for rinsing the mouth. Ask the child to rinse the mouth several times and spit the solution out after holding it for at least 30 seconds.

Anything else than salt?

In fact, there are a number of home remedies that will work on canker sores. These remedies are commonly cheap, easy to find, yet quite effective.

1. 1. Tea bags

Black tea contains tannin, which effectively reduce pain and inflammation and hence, good for canker sores and other open wounds. To use black tea bags for your canker sore, simply put a wet bag onto the site directly. Hold it for a half minute and do this several times a day. This is in fact, the gentlest home remedy for canker sore both in adults and kids.

1. 2. Mouthwash

Mouthwash is an effective anti-bacteria which also helps reducing canker sore inflammation and pain. Rinsing your mouth with mouthwash in between meals helps getting rid of bacteria and germs that alleviate the pain.

1. 3. Ice cubes

An ice cube helps numb the wounded area and thus, reduces the caused pain. You will need to apply the cube directly, but never hold it for too long. Otherwise, try to put some intervals between each application until the pain subsides.

1. 4. Topical medications

Topical ointment or solution containing hydrogen peroxide, benzocaine, or fluocinonide are also helpful in relieving pain caused by canker sore. These medications are specifically suitable for kids, which need gentle treatments concerning canker sores.

What to do during canker sore breakouts

Canker sore is physically an open wound, so that you will need to take care of it and the area surrounding the wound site. there are things you need to consider in order to not make your canker sore worse and thus, more painful:

1. Avoid spicy and acid foods that do not only trigger more pain, but also future sores.
2. Avoid hard foods, such as chips that may aggravate the wound.
3. Practice good oral hygiene, which will help killing the infesting bacteria and germs.
4. Reduce your stress level and keep your diet plan healthier. Try meditation and other stress-reducing treatments if your canker sore is related to your stress level.
5. Choose healthy foods and stick to it. Canker sore may easily come back and thus, sticking to your healthy diet plan will help reducing the possibility of re-infestation. Increase your fruit and vegetable intake to fulfill your nutrients. Sufficient nutrients will boost your immune system that helps fighting canker sore.