Canker Sore On Tongue
How to care for that canker sore on your tongue
A canker sore on your tongue is an open, painful sore that looks yellow or white. It’s usually bordered by a bright, red colored area. Canker sores are not really a cause for concern, although they can be quite irritating and make eating and drinking some of your favorite things a little difficult. They are, after all, a form of mouth ulcer. Symptoms usually start with a tingling sensation before the sore appears.
Canker sores are more common in women than they are in men. They tend to appear for the first time anywhere between the ages of 10 and 40. Canker sores can appear on the inside of the cheeks, lips, tongue, and soft palate. They also tend to run in families and can often be linked to problems with the body’s immune system.
A canker sore on your tongue can be caused by many different things, from a mouth injury that happened during dental work, to even emotional stress. Some dietary deficiencies can also cause a canker sore on your tongue. Lack of iron, folic acid, or vitamin B-12 can contribute to canker sores, as can hormonal changes. Canker sores are also very common with viral infections.
In many cases, you may not know why you have a canker sore on your tongue. However, you still provide the same care for the canker sore, no matter how you got it. Normally you won’t need to do anything to help the canker sore heal. They usually go away by themselves, but in the meantime, there are some things you can do to mitigate the discomfort you have from that canker sore on your tongue.
For one thing, you should avoid all spicy foods. The spices in the food can irritate a canker sore, making it more painful and burning. You can try rinsing with warm salt water to find some relief from a canker sore. There are also many different over-the-counter canker sore remedies that will help relieve the pain.
If warm salt water didn’t work, then the best at-home canker sore remedy you can make consists of hydrogen peroxide and water. Use a half and half solution and apply it to the canker sore on your tongue using a cotton swab. After you apply the diluted hydrogen peroxide, then you should put a small amount of milk of magnesia on the canker sore. Apply the milk of magnesia to the canker sore about three or four times a day until the canker sore disappears. This will not only soothe the pain but also help the sore heal.
If you don’t have any hydrogen peroxide lying around, then you can try a mixture of milk of magnesia and liquid allergy medication. Use a half and half solution of milk of magnesia and Benadryl. Rinse your mouth with this solution for about a minute or so.
Your doctor may prescribe Lidex or a special mouthwash for canker sores that keep recurring. Corticosteroids may also be used in severe cases of canker sores.