About Canker Sores

Canker sores are painful, open sores inside your mouth–usually on your cheeks, tongue or floor of the mouth, but occasionally on your gums. They can be as small as a pinhead or as large as an inch in diameter. And the sensation can be an irritation or a painful throbbing. As with any open sore, it hurts when it is touched. And, because it is in your mouth, something is always touching it, like saliva, so the canker sore hurts most of the time with a burning and itching sensation. The sore itself looks like a little crater, grayish white in the middle and rimmed with bright red inflammation.

About one out of every five people get canker sores. (some people refer to them as mouth ulcers). They are most common among women 20 to 50 years old. The good news is that there are over-the-counter products that treat the symptoms associated with canker sores. Two options are Kank-A Mouth Pain Liquid and Kank-A SoftBrush. Both products treat canker sores and mouth pain.

Canker Sore Causes

Canker sores may be brought on by stress – either emotional, physical or chemical. Emotional stress may be caused by any situation that puts you under pressure. Physical stress might be caused by an abrasion in your mouth, burns from hot foods or even biting your tongue or cheek. Chemical stress means anything that changes your body chemistry, such as an illness or a change in your eating habits. Acidic or spicy foods may also be a cause of canker sores.

Whatever the cause, if you get canker sores, you are likely to get them again. Fortunately, they are not contagious, and they do go away. They usually last seven to ten days, though sometimes up to three weeks. If you have a sore in your mouth that isn’t getting better over time or seems to be getting worse, it’s important to seek medical attention from your dentist or medical provider.

While there are many causes of canker sores and people who have a tendency to develop these sores cannot avoid them completely, dentists agree that good oral hygiene and a healthy diet can help minimize the effects of stress that trigger an outbreak.

Treating Canker Sores & Mouth Sores

If you get a canker or mouth sore, it is important to treat all the symptoms–the pain, the irritation and the potential infection. The best way to treat a mouth sore is:

  1. Relieve the pain with an anesthetic/analgesic. For most people, it is best to use a product with the maximum available level of a proven effective anesthetic/analgesic, such as benzocaine.
  2. Protect the sore with a product that coats and seals the sore. Ordinary brands of mouth sore medication quickly wash off after application and do not protect the sore. However, an ideal medication adheres to the mucous membrane, forming a flexible coating. This protective film physically blocks contact with food and saliva to lessen irritation and help speed healing. Kank-A Mouth Pain Liquid quickly acts as a shield with a protective film that allows healing to happen.
  3. Apply the medication directly to the painful area. Applying the medication directly to the affected area is the quickest and most effective way to treat a canker sore. A built-in applicator aids in precise placement of the medication and helps prevent infections by keeping unsanitary fingers out of the mouth.
  4. Choose a medication that is recommended by health care professionals. There is no better advice than your dentist’s. Acceptance by the American Dental Association (ADA) is also a sure sign of a product’s quality, because it means that a product has met ADA criteria for safety and effectiveness.

Kank-A Mouth Pain Liquid is an excellent canker sore medication that is ADA Accepted and specially formulated to provide all of the above benefits for the treatment of mouth sores.

Mouth Sores and Braces

Corrective dental braces and dental instruments used to tighten or adjust braces can cause irritation and abrasions to tissue inside the mouth. These abrasions and irritations can be treated using Kank-A Mouth Pain Liquid or Kank-A SoftBrush. Read below for more information.

Abrasions from Braces

  1. Address the source of the problem. If braces are rubbing against the soft tissue in your mouth, cover that portion of your braces with wax designed for use on braces. If you have persistent problems with the same area, let your orthodontist know.
  2. Apply a local anesthetic/analgesic to the sore. In order to get the medicine exactly where you need it, look for products with built in applicators. Also, consider using an oral pain reliever that forms a protective film over the sore for extended relief. Maximum strength Kank-A Mouth Pain Liquid and Kank-A SoftBrush are both excellent choices to treat individual sores caused by brace abrasions.

Brace Pain Due to Adjustments or Tightening

  1. Taking an oral analgesic such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen may be effective for longer lasting relief of the deep aching associated with the adjustment of dental appliances. Always follow the label instructions when using any medications.
  2. Applying a topical oral anesthetic/analgesic can provide immediate, temporary relief from brace pain while waiting for the oral analgesic to begin working. Topical oral pain relievers are also a good option for use at bedtime to relieve discomfort and allow you to fall asleep. Look for an oral pain reliever with an applicator that will reach problem areas anywhere in the mouth and can easily “paint” medicine around your braces. Kank-A SoftBrush is well suited to treat brace pain.

Mouth Sores and Dentures

Mouth sore pain can also occur with unstable or loose dentures which can rub and irritate parts of the inside of the mouth.

Many dental professionals recommend disinfecting your dentures every night. Proper fitting and occasional adjustment of your dentures will also help. Always talk to your dentist when your mouth sores do not heal or when you have a pain that lasts more than a few days.

For temporary relief of denture pain, apply a liquid or gel oral anesthetic to the affected areas. Both Kank-A Liquid and Kank-A SoftBrush contain maximum strength pain medication for quick, effective pain relief. Kank-A Mouth Pain Liquid provides the added benefit of a film former to help protect the irritated tissues.

Women in pain holding her jaw