How to Identify and Treat Canker Sores in the Mouth

Canker sores are a common, yet painful, mouth ailment that many people suffer from. These small ulcers can be difficult to identify and even more difficult to treat. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to both identify and treat canker sores in the mouth.

Identifying Canker Sores

The first step in treating canker sores is identifying them properly. Canker sores typically appear as small white or yellow ulcers with a red border on the inside of your cheeks or lips. They may also appear on the roof of your mouth or tongue. While they may be painful and cause discomfort when eating or drinking, they usually do not cause any long-term damage unless left untreated for an extended period of time.

Treating Canker Sores
If you have identified a canker sore in your mouth, there are several ways to treat it:
1) Rinsing with salt water: Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt into 8 ounces of warm water and rinse your mouth with it multiple times throughout the day. This will help reduce swelling and pain associated with the sore.
2) Over-the-counter medications: Many over-the-counter medications such as benzocaine ointments can help reduce pain associated with the sore while providing an anti-inflammatory effect that helps heal it faster.
3) Avoid acidic foods: Acidic foods such as citrus fruits and tomatoes should be avoided while you have a canker sore as they will irritate it further and delay healing time.
4) Vitamin B12 supplements: Taking vitamin B12 supplements has been shown to help reduce inflammation associated with canker sores and speed up healing time significantly.

By following these steps, you should be able to effectively identify and treat any canker sores in your mouth quickly and effectively without causing any long-term damage or discomfort

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. Canker sores, mouth ailment, small ulcers, identify, treat, salt water, over-the-counter medications, benzocaine ointments, acidic foods, citrus fruits, tomatoes, vitamin B12 supplements,

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