canker sores are an open and painful mouth ulcer. It’s also the most common type of mouth ulcer.
They’re usually white or yellow and surrounded by red and inflamed soft tissue. In this video,
we are going to look at, what canker sores are, what causes them, how to treat them,
and finally, how to prevent canker sores altogether, so stay tuned until the end.
Hi guys, yaseen arsalan, media pharmacist here on youtube. This weeks video is on canker sores.
Smash the like button below- Now, to help this video get seen by more people so we can beat
those painful irritating canker sores. Canker sores can be very uncomfortable but rarely
are a cause of concern. They typically heal within 2 weeks, but for days it can make eating
and even talking very uncomfortable. Which is why I wanted to make this video, so if you have
a canker sore currently, this video is made just for you, so keep watching. The first misconception
surrounding canker sores are them being mistaken as cold sores. Canker sores are not cold sores.
For a quick guide on cold sores, click the video I made on the upper right hand corner, that goes
into cold sores in detail. Canker sores are those very small lesions that occur in the inner lining
of the mouth as opposed to cold sores that are located outside. They usually start off small but
can grow from anywhere from ½ an inch in diameter to an inch in diameter.Talk about frustrating. The
precise cause of canker sores remains unknown, though researchers suspect they are caused by
a combination of things such as mouth injuries, food sensitivities, stress, vitamin deficiencies,
and even sodium lauryl sulfates, that are found in most toothpastes. There are 2 types of canker
sores. Simple canker sores that occur three or four times a year and last up to a week. And
there are complex canker sores that are larger, more painful and can last up to a month. Usually
there will be an underlying issue that causes complex sores such as a compromised immune system,
Crohn’s disease, or a vitamin deficiency. To treat canker sores: there will be a variety
of different approaches and products over the counter that you can take that can help. They
mainly consist of your anesthetics, and your cleansing agents. I won't go over all of them,
but i'll cover these 2 methods, and recommend a product as well for each. You can find a link
to everything i mention, in the description below, so don't forget to check those out.
The goal is to treat the symptoms, reduce the inflammation, and promote the healing process.
For your anesthetics, the most frequent ones used are your benzocaines that range from 5-20%. You
might have heard brands like, Kank-A, Anbesol, and Oragel. Note that if you have an allergy or
sensitivity to benzocaine, you should not be using this as it can be harmful. So check in
with your doctor if its okay to use first. What i recommend to patients in the pharmacy is the
oragel, The formula combines the power of three active ingredients for fast topical pain relief.
benzocaine to help with pain, menthol to soothe the gums, and zinc to prevent any irritation.
Secondly, you have your mouth rinses or cleansing agents. You may have heard of Glyoxide,
Colgates Peroxyl, and Oragel. Essentially they'll either utilize hydrogen peroxide as a cleanser
or carbamide peroxide which releases oxygen to loosen any debris and clean the wound. Which is
great if you have braces. So for this category, i recommend the glyoxide antiseptic mouth cleanser,
which uses peroxide and oxygen-rich microfoams to get the job done. It also eliminates odor
forming germs, which is a great plus right? There are many other topical products for canker
sores, including those without active ingredients. So If you wanted to go this route, I recommend the
Gum canker x-relief gel that uses aloe vera to coate and soothe the sore. And if you wanted
immediate relief using either a salt, baking soda, or hydrogen peroxide rinse you have at home, I
left a useful link in the description below on how to prepare them, so don't forget to check that out
as well. Now that the treatment is over, lets look at 3 ways on how to prevent getting canker sores.
Number 1.) Avoid foods that irritate your mouth, this includes acidic, hot or spicy foods. Number
2.) Follow good oral hygiene habits, this includes regular brushing, using a soft brush,
and avoiding sodium lauryl sulfate toothpastes. Number 3.) Reduce your stress. This will differ
for most, but techniques like meditation and guided imagery has been shown to help.
Call your doctor if you have Unusually large sores, Sores that are spreading or lasts three
weeks or longer, pain that doesnt heal even when taking over the counter pain medicines,
or if you develop a fever with canker sores. These sores may need to be treated
with a prescription antibacterial mouth rinse, a corticosteroid ointment, or other prescriptions.
I hope this video was useful to you guys and that I hope you do share this video with someone you
know who can benefit from it. I also hope that your canker sores will heal up very soon. Like
the video, if you did enjoy it and subscribe to stay on board with all my other weekly health
and wellness videos. Thanks for sticking tuned till the end, and as always, thanks for watching.