Canker sores are no joke, they pop up out of nowhere and demand attention.
Like HELLO, you are not eating anything spicy today! & Depending on where it is, you have to talk all weird. It's a no for me.
What is a Canker Sore?
A canker sore is a small, benign ucler. It is usually round/oval shaped with a white or yellow center. It forms inside the mouth; inside the cheeks/lips, on the side/underneath the tongue or at the base of your gums.
Your mouth may burn or tingle before one forms.
Canker sores are a sign of too much acidity in the mouth. They can be caused by a digestive imbalance, GERD, minor injuries, food sensitives, hormonal changes, vitamin deficiencies and even stress.
The Canker Sore Remedy That Worked for Me
Coconut Oil! Yup, it's that simple.
Coconut Oil is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial helping to heal canker sores much faster.
When ever I get a canker sore, I'll take some organic extra-virgin coconut oil on my clean finger or a cotton swab and paste some on top of the canker sore. Do this before bed and I promise, when you get up the next morning, you'll be amazed at how much it will reduce. Coconut oil can be used for as many nights as possible. The most I've needed it for was 2 nights and that was because I waited to treat it. On other occasions when I treated the sore immediately, the sore was gone within a few hours.
You can use this at anytime but it's best before bed that way it isn't disturbed or rubbed away by eating or talking while doing it's thing.
Oil pulling for 5-10 minutes will help speed up the healing process as well. Oil pulling also whitens teeth and freshens breath so its all good over here. 😁
How to Prevent Canker Sores
Switch to a natural, sodium lauryl-sulfate (SLS) free toothpaste
Brush your teeth or rinse your mouth after every meal
Don't be rough when brushing your teeth (that may irritate your gums causing a canker sore to form)
Make sure you are consuming enough B Vitamins and Vitamin C
Take a good quality planted-based, non-gmo, multi-vitamin
Avoid consuming excess amounts highly acidic foods (tomatoes, pineapples, hot peppers, etc..)
Increase your intake of alkaline foods
Ensure the lining of your mouth isn't weak, this is where the sores usually form (the vulnerable spots)
Use an anti-inflammatory mouth wash
Ensure your gut-flora (bacteria) is balanced
Practice managing stress better (stress weakens our immune system)
Canker sores are a huge annoyance but with some simple lifestyle changes, you can be on your way to reducing their occurrence or never getting one again! 🤞🏽 Peace, love and light Finer Fam 💚