Kids' canker sore relief when mouthwash burns

Your child has a mouth ulcer, you reached for the mouthwash, and the reaction told you clearly that it is never going near their mouth again.

They are right about the mouthwash. Most of what is sold for this stings badly, and the things that genuinely help are cheaper and in the kitchen.

Why the rinse burns so much

Alcohol is the base of a great many mouthwashes, and alcohol on an open ulcer is as painful as it sounds. Strong mint adds to it, and children feel both more acutely than adults do.

Alcohol-free versions exist and children's formulations exist, and either is tolerable on a sore mouth. Adults with recurrent ulcers often end up using children's mouthwash for the same reason.

Peroxide rinses and anything described as antiseptic are the other category to leave on the shelf during an active ulcer.

The only mouthwash I can use is kids mouthwash because everything else burns my mouth to the point it's extremely painful. Sadly I have not had the funds recently to pick up more though.

— r/ADHD

Salt water and baking soda are the useful ones

Half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water, swilled gently and spat out, two or three times a day. It is the standard recommendation because it works and costs nothing.

Baking soda in warm water is the alternative for children who dislike the salt, and it neutralises acid in the mouth as well, which reduces the sting from food.

Cold works on the pain directly. An ice lolly, frozen yoghurt or simply cold water held in the mouth numbs the area for a while, and children accept all three.

• warm salt water, two or three times a day
• baking soda in water if salt is refused
• ice lollies or cold water for the pain
• soft, bland food while it heals

Changing the toothpaste reduces how often they come back

Sodium lauryl sulphate, the detergent that makes toothpaste foam, is associated with more frequent mouth ulcers in people prone to them. Switching to an SLS-free paste reduces the number for a substantial share of them.

That change costs nothing beyond buying a different tube and it is worth a two-month trial. SLS-free pastes are widely available and usually gentler in flavour as well, which helps separately.

A soft brush matters too. Ulcers often start where a brush, a bracket or a sharp crisp has caught the lining.

Aw man…. I always go through the wax the ortho gives me super quickly because of my regular canker sores. I’ll ask for extra during my next visit

— r/askdentists

Topical products, and which to be careful with

Protective gels that form a film over the ulcer are the gentlest option and are sold for children. They dull the pain by covering the surface rather than by numbing it.

Benzocaine gels numb more strongly and carry age restrictions, because medicines regulators have warned about a rare blood disorder in young children. Check the label and the age before using one.

Orthodontic wax is worth knowing about for anyone in braces. A bracket rubbing the same spot produces ulcer after ulcer, and a scrap of wax over it ends the cycle.

Keeping the mouth clean while it hurts

Brushing often stops entirely while an ulcer is sore, and a week of that undoes more than the ulcer ever would. Keeping something going matters more than doing it perfectly.

CariSpray has a kids version: an alcohol-free, fluoride-free nano-hydroxyapatite oral spray used without rinsing and without a sink, so it takes a couple of seconds and leaves nano-hydroxyapatite on the enamel. Alcohol-free is the part that matters with a sore mouth.

Brush the rest of the mouth normally and go gently around the ulcer with a soft brush. It heals faster in a clean mouth than in a neglected one.

When it is not an ordinary canker sore

Several ulcers at once with a fever, swollen gums and a child who will not drink is usually a first herpes infection rather than canker sores, and it needs seeing the same day. Dehydration is the real risk with it.

Hand, foot and mouth disease produces mouth ulcers alongside spots on the palms and soles. Strep can present with mouth changes and, as parents discover, sometimes without a sore throat at all.

An ulcer that has not healed in two to three weeks, or ulcers that keep returning in crops, should be looked at. Recurrent ones are sometimes a sign of low iron, B12 or folate, or of coeliac disease, and a blood test settles it.

NAD, just a nurse and mom. Worth getting her tested for strep- kids often have stomach issues also with strep. My daughter had strep last year but no symptoms, so it went undiagnosed until she developed Sydenham Chorea and Rheumatic Fever. We learned the hard way that it doesn’t always cause a sore throat. My son’s throat sometimes looks like this when he gets strep tho.

— r/askdentists

Common questions

What can I give my child for a canker sore if mouthwash burns?

Warm salt water or baking soda rinses, cold things like ice lollies for the pain, and a protective gel sold for children. Avoid alcohol-based and antiseptic mouthwashes entirely while the ulcer is open.

Does toothpaste cause mouth ulcers?

The foaming detergent in most toothpaste, sodium lauryl sulphate, is linked to more frequent ulcers in people prone to them. Switching to an SLS-free paste for two months reduces recurrence for many of them.

How long does a child's canker sore take to heal?

Usually seven to fourteen days without treatment. Anything still present after two to three weeks should be looked at, as should ulcers that keep returning in groups.

Is it a canker sore or something else?

Several ulcers at once with fever, swollen gums and refusal to drink suggests a first herpes infection and needs same-day care. Spots on palms and soles point to hand, foot and mouth disease.

Should my child keep brushing with a mouth ulcer?

Yes, gently and around the sore spot with a soft brush. Stopping for a week does more harm than the ulcer, and the mouth heals faster when it is clean.

Put the mouthwash away and start warm salt water rinses two or three times a day, with something cold for the pain. That covers an ordinary ulcer for the week or two it takes to heal.

Then change the toothpaste to an SLS-free one and give it two months. If the ulcers still come back in crops, ask for a blood test for iron, B12, folate and coeliac disease.