[rpdillon]

Ahh, mine is an interesting counterpoint to this!

I had canker sores for my entire life, well into my late 20s. I tried everything: changing toothpastes (more on this in a second), changing brushes, using mouthwash, being told my mouth was "dirty" and I need to brush more, etc.

Turns out (at least for me) the sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) used as a foaming agent in (almost) every single toothpaste causes canker sores. I found "canker sore toothpaste" that lacks the SLS, for $7 a tube. I used it for couple of years and it worked!

If you read up on SLS, this is not super-surprising. It's a known skin irritant, and is known to cause more irritation when left on the skin for more than a couple of minutes. Canker sores are an autoimmune issue, so my theory is the irritation triggers an immune response, leading to the sore.

And then I discovered if I rinse thoroughly (twice) after brushing, even with normal toothpaste, I just don't get canker sores anymore! Not sure if it's universal, but canker sores suck so much, I hope this helps someone suffering like I was.

[ChadNYC]

Interesting. I suffered from canker sores into my early 20's. Finally talked to a Dr, who sent me to a nutritionist. The problem for me was orange juice. I've never been sure what exactly it is in OJ that caused the problem. But I do know that if I drink a glass of processed orange juice today, I'll wake up with a bad canker sore in 2-3 days. If I drink a glass of fresh orange juice for a few days in a row, I'll get the canker sores.

[karaterobot]

Yes, I had the same experience. Went 40 years brushing, then rinsing, then I read advice similar to the original commenter's and stopped rinsing. Shortly after that, I wondered why I suddenly had all these weird sores in my mouth, and finally connected the dots. They went away immediately after I started rinsing again.

[jkubicek]

I've also suffered from canker sores. Vitamin B (B-12 is the important one, I think) is a wonder cure. At the first sign of mouth soreness I start taking daily doses of Vitamin B and it cures the sores right up.

[nativespecies]

For me and my 2x monthly canker sores, it turned out I was severely iron deficient and had anemia. Since taking supplements, I haven't had a canker sore in 7 months.

[digianarchist]

Triamcinolone acetonide oral paste works well for canker sores.

Much better than any over the counter stuff.

[nativespecies]

In the rare instance I get a canker sore I now immediately apply some raw bee propolis (can find it on Amazon). Put a few drops on a q-tip and directly apply to canker sore. It burns like hell, but what happens is it creates a "seal" around the sore that lasts for a couple days (unlike the OTC crap) which not only protects you as you eat from burning pain, but also speeds healing. Since using propolis, my sores will heal in 2-3 days vs. 7-10 on their own. It's incredible.

[mixmastamyk]

TJs: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34584009