Canker sores in children...

[MomRN]

My little boy (4) has been developing canker sores recently. I used to get them when I was his age and older, and finally stopped around age 20ish. I believe mine were stress related, and I wonder if his might be also (he has OCD tendencies, so stresses over everything).

Does anyone have any child safe suggestions to help cure them when they occur and for prevention? The only real issue (besides the fact I hate to see my baby in pain), is he refuses to eat while he has one (and he doesn't like things that are cold- ice cream, popsicles, etc).

Also, is this worth talking to a doctor or dentist about? I guess it could be vitamin related and labs could be drawn to rule that out, but is there anything else they can do?

 

[momrek06]

OP, does he swallow vitamins yet ... the BEST vitamin for reoccurring canker sores is L-Lysine 500mg. I am not sure if it comes in liquid form. My DS (20yo) suffers with canker sores because of his diet and he takes one Lysine a day and never has them anymore at all.

Check with you Ped.

 

[MomRN]

He takes a chewable multi-vitamin, although not regularly. We probably remember it about 50% of the time.

I plan making an appt with the ped, but wanted to hear some suggestions also. Let's be honest, sometimes OTC, vitamins, and herbal remedies are better than prescription meds, but you can rarely get a dr to agree to that. At least not one around here.

 

[SandrA9810]

My dentist actually asked me what they were. I've been getting them for as long as I can remember. A little bit of epson salt swished in the mouth should help, but that's a lot of pain to help cure them. I hate it when like 3 or 4 show up at the same time.

Never heard of any remedies. Just that they're not contagious, and they'll go away on their own.

 

[Christine]

Lysine for Canker Sores
Lysine is a necessary component for building muscle protein in the body. It is considered an essential amino acid, which means:

1.You need it
2.It cannot be synthesized by your body and therefore must be obtained in your diet.

Lysine is often mentioned as a canker sore treatment, probably because it is said to have antiviral properties. If the cause of canker sores is related to a virus, then lysine should help in mitigating their arrival. But researchers say it isn't.
It's possible however, that using lysine for mouth ulcers stems from the confusion over canker sores and cold sores.

The reason lysine has an effect against cold sores has to do with the way the herpes virus utilizes the amino acid arginine for replication. Remember, cold sores (also known as fever blisters) are caused by the herpes virus, canker sores are not.

Eating arginine-rich foods (e.g., chocolate, nuts and seeds) gives the herpes virus an ingredient it needs to become active.

For some reason, when you consume sufficient quantities of lysine, it somehow balances out or interferes with herpes' ability to utilize the arginine you eat.

So if you get cold sores and like to eat nuts and seeds, pop a lysine capsule or two at the same time and you'll lessen the chance that you'll get a cold sore.

There are other triggers for cold sores, such as UV radiation and stress, but that's a topic for another website. ;-)

The point is, consuming lysine may not help in your quest to conquer your canker sore outbreaks, but it's worth a try. Lysine is fairly inexpensive and ingesting extra lysine occasionally won't hurt you.

As a first line of defense, switching to an SLS-free toothpaste is probably a better strategy in combating mouth sores.

As the above article states, a lot of people confuse using Lysine for canker sores because it DOES seem effective on cold sores (different things).

I have been a lifelong sufferer of canker sores and it has taken me awhile to figure out my triggers.

One think that has probably reduced them by half is to use the SLS-free toothpaste. I use Rembrandt's Canker Sore relief toothpaste. SLS causes a breakdown in the protective lining of the mucousal tissue in the mouth *in some people* so if you are one of those affected people, the SLS-free toothpaste will give some relief.

My other triggers are:
homegrown tomatoes (especially if paired in a BLT sandwich). Between the abrasions caused by the crispy bacon and the acid in the tomato, these create some of the worst canker sores I have ever gotten.

Eating lots of tortilla chips (again, an abrasion issue).

Accidental biting inside my mouth.

Stress to a lesser degree.

I've actually gotten big canker sores on my soft palate and on my tonsils if they get abraded by a sharp food. They can be so bad I will feel like I have an awful sore throat.

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

A mixture that may be helpful consists of 1-2 tablespoons of Maalox mixed with ½ tablespoon of liquid diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Swish a teaspoonful in your mouth and spit it out. This can be done four times a day.

 

[Christine]

A mixture that may be helpful consists of 1-2 tablespoons of Maalox mixed with ½ tablespoon of liquid diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Swish a teaspoonful in your mouth and spit it out. This can be done four times a day.

I keep reading this and ALWAYS forget about it when I'm in the midst of an outbreak. It certainly sounds soothing.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I have gotten these occasionally off and on...

UNTIL I started using a baking soda and peroxide toothpaste.

I think that they make mouth-rinses and products like AMOSAN (sp?) which also use these two ingredients.

Triggers are a big thing too. Things that are highly acidic (tomatoes, pineapple, etc.... and things that are highly the opposite, seem to be irritants.

I am not sure if L-Lysine helps, but it sure took care of my husbands issues with cold-sores! It was recommended to him many years ago by a family friend who was a physician.

 

[MomRN]

A mixture that may be helpful consists of 1-2 tablespoons of Maalox mixed with ½ tablespoon of liquid diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Swish a teaspoonful in your mouth and spit it out. This can be done four times a day.

He doesn't grasp spitting yet.

How does the SLS-free toothpaste taste? Since he's 4 I've only given him children's toothpaste. I did read that recommendation on several sites though. Wonder if they have an SLS-free children's toothpaste? Might have to give the Rembrandts a try and just use a small amount.

 

[Christine]

He doesn't grasp spitting yet.

How does the SLS-free toothpaste taste? Since he's 4 I've only given him children's toothpaste. I did read that recommendation on several sites though. Wonder if they have an SLS-free children's toothpaste? Might have to give the Rembrandts a try and just use a small amount.

The Rembrandt is mildly minty compared to most toothpastes which can be, WOW, zingy!!! It takes some getting used to as it doesn't later much at all. Most people who use it for the first time feel like they aren't getting their teeth clean. But you get used to it. When I go back to a normal toothpaste I get overwhelmed by foam.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

Is he eating too much ketchup or salt?

I suffer from COLD SORES which is on the OUTSIDE of my lip. Thank God for Valtrex...what a miracle drug!

When I was a kid, I used to get CANKER SORES inside my mouth from eating too much salt & ketchup.

 

[vettechick99]

I will get canker sores if I use a whitening toothpaste or drink too much OJ. If he drinks a lot of acidic juice, I'd cut that out first and see if the sores disappear. GL!

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

Orajel makes a mouth wash for mouth sores. You apply some with a q-tip since he doesn't quite get spitting yet. Not sure if this is a good option, but those numbing gels can help, especially when he eats. They taste a little funky though, and he might not like it when it gets on his tongue. I get canker sores quite frequently. My triggers are accidentally biting the inside of my mouth, sour stuff (fruit snacks are a big one, juice and ketchup too), and stress.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

A mixture that may be helpful consists of 1-2 tablespoons of Maalox mixed with ½ tablespoon of liquid diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Swish a teaspoonful in your mouth and spit it out. This can be done four times a day.

Our Pediatrician actually wrote this out as a prescription and the Pharmacist mixed this up for us.

My girls and I all get canker sores. They can usually be traced back to biting the inside of the mouth, too much soda/citric acid products, or stress.

There really isn't much that can be done for them but swishing the concoction mentioned above seems to help a bit.

 

[rszdtrvl]

My son has 3 large ones on his lower lip. Poor kid.

I did reading about it, and agree with what everyone said.

He takes 500mg Lysine (vitamin L), and just today I purchased a SLS free toothpaste : Sensodyne ProNamel.

He started taking the Lysine on Monday, and will use the toothpaste starting today.

My fingers are crossed that this works. He is really prone to them, and I have no idea what causes him to get them.

 

[alliecats]

My boss's dentist told him to take B Complex regularly. He used to get them all the time and now he said it's been years.

I had to switch to Sensodyne toothpaste. I still get them though! I hate taking vitamins so I have not tried that yet.

 

[MomRN]

He doesn't eat too much ketchup or salt. I don't add salt to food, so he eats what's already in there. He usually doesn't eat ketchup with fries. No OJ either. He's a pretty picky eater, which makes me wonder if it may be a lack of a vitamin defiency. I'll have to schedule an appt with the ped to do some labs.

He has already has his 6 mth cleaning scheduled in a week, so I can ask the dentist about it then.

He hate, hates the taste/feeling of Oragel, but maybe a mouthwash wouldn't be as strong.

Thanks for the advice so far!

 

[Christine]

He doesn't eat too much ketchup or salt. I don't add salt to food, so he eats what's already in there. He usually doesn't eat ketchup with fries. No OJ either. He's a pretty picky eater, which makes me wonder if it may be a lack of a vitamin defiency. I'll have to schedule an appt with the ped to do some labs.

He has already has his 6 mth cleaning scheduled in a week, so I can ask the dentist about it then.

He hate, hates the taste/feeling of Oragel, but maybe a mouthwash wouldn't be as strong.

Thanks for the advice so far!

I will say that when my iron levels were at their lowest, I was getting routine breakouts of canker sores. Now that my levels are better, I just get the usual amount of canker sores. So you may be on to something. I was not anemic for the most part, but my iron stores (detected by a Ferritin test) were just about non-existant.

 

[bballmom56]

My DS21 gets canker sores now and then. Sometimes 2 form together and make one big one. They are so painful! When he had his wisdom teeth out, we asked the oral surgeon about prevention, treatment, etc. She said there really is no prevention or treatment. Her own son gets them. She told us to buy a product called Kanka for relief. That one does seem to give him relief as it has twice the concentration of numbing agent as Anbesol. DH also suffers from them (not as bad as DS) so I wonder if the tendency isn't hereditary? I don't get them and neither does DD.

 

[LukenDC]

I suffered with monthly, large canker sores when I was a child through my early twenties. It was not uncommon for me to have three or four large sores at the same time. I first developed them when I was four (my parents took me to the ER without knowing that I had stepped in a pile of pig poo at the country fair that afternoon. I remember the day well!).

When I was 23, I read a study about canker sores and their relation to a vitamin deficiency. I started taking a Centrum multi-vitamin each day and the sores rapidly cleared and rarely return. I usually get one or two sores a year now and they are very small and seem under developed.

I recommend using a Colgate brand canker sore paste to put on the sores. It does not burn and does a good job protecting the sores from irritation. It is a HUGE improvement over Kanka, which I used when I was a kid and boy it burned when I put it on.