Does anyone know if canker sores can be caused by eating too much sugar?

I don't think you get sores from too much sugar, but they can be aggravated by sweet things. Sores can occur when you're under a lot of stress. Also if you have large amounts of them in your mouth it could indicate a vitamin defieciency - one of the B's. I had an experience one summer when seemingly overnight I got these large clusters of them inside my cheeks. Basically they cleared up after taking a B complex supplement and trying to eat a little heathier. Smudge

Our internist told us that cancer sores are a virus. You just have to sit them out. Relieve you can find but no cure. Being in good health always helps to prevent a virus. So eat healthy and stay in good shape.
Good luck!

Thanks everyone! I have a small but VERY painful one UNDER the tongue! (What a conveinient place!)

If you get them frequently (like I used to), you might consider switching toothpastes to one without Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). This seemed to lower my frequency from one a week to one every couple months (or longer). In the average store, there will probably only be two or three kinds that are "SLS-free" (I'm currently using Sensodyne).

On a side note, I always carry a tube of Anbesol gel when I get bad canker sores .. nothing beats instant numbness.

LeChuck

Chuck,

What is in SLS? Sodium...hmmm....I always thought salt/salt water was good for canker sores?

If it is under the tongue, are so positive that it is a canker sore? I once thought that I had one there, and it turned out to be a clogged salivary gland. The only way that I knew is because it was hurting so bad that I went to the dentist.

Purple,

What did it look like and what did the dentist recommend you to do? Is it something serious? I have red with a white spot looking thing that seems to be getting better and smaller. What causes what you had?

If I recall correctly, SLS is a very strong detergent (which is why it can irritate the mouth and leave canker sores). There's lots of information about this on the net, I'd suggest searching for "SLS canker sores" or something similar .. you should get lots of results.

I'm not sure if this is your problem (do you get them often?) but it seems to have done the trick for me.

LeChuck

Canker sores can be helped by reducing the acid in your body. I read a funny thing that worked for me: stomach remedies such as Mylanta /Maalox etc. help cut down the acid and even if you swish them around your mouth, it is soothing. i also found carrot jiuce, zinc and bcomplex vitamin very helpful. All the best.....

Canker sores can be helped by reducing the acid in your body. I read a funny thing that worked for me: stomach remedies such as Mylanta /Maalox etc. help cut down the acid and even if you swish them around your mouth, it is soothing. I also found carrot juice, zinc and bcomplex vitamin very helpful. All the best.....

Are cankers allergy related? How long do they last and how many can people get at one time? Gees!!! What a pain they are!!!

my tongue is always covered is canker sores! i've often thought it must be allergy related as i have so many food allergies. i find lots of mouthwash, especially a kind called steresol specially designed for canker sores, helps somewhat. my tongue always looks really distressed. does anyone else have this problem ?

Ladybug,

How many do you get at a time? How did you determine that you have food allergies?

my worst allergies are to dairy and eggs. i knew that before the dr. said so because i get severally sick from them. but the dr. tested me and also said i'm allergic to wheat, tomatoes, chocolate, coconut, bananas, corn, apple...and maybe a few things i forgot. i can't eat diary & eggs at all but i do eat all the other things even though the dr. tells me not to. its just that i'm a vegetarian who can't eat eggs or dairy. if i give up wheat and tomatoes that doesn't leave me with much.

oh and i usually have between 3-5 cankers on my tongue at any given time.

Wow...are they all on your tongue? None on your gums? Ouch! Tongue is the worst!

oh yes, all on the tongue...i talked to my dentist about it and they couldn't help me. the dentist did tell me she thought the were rather huge. the larger ones are about the size of a dime. sometimes i do get the odd one on a gum or side of my mouth but those ones i can live with.

WOW! How long do they usually last? How long between outbreaks dop you usually go? I can't remember, did you say what you thought caused them???

they never go away. well i guess they go away but new ones come at the same time so i always have them. i think it's food allergies...that is the only thing i can think of. it started a couple of years ago...right around the time i developed allergies.

YIKES! Have you been checked out for anything else? That seems to be a bit much to have them. How many and what kind of doctors have you seen for this?

i've just had my gp, dentist and dental surgeon check them out and none of them seemed to have a clue. i guess i've gotten sorta used to them.

Okay. I saw on another board where people are responding to a canker question and I am a bit confused. I saw on a dental association site alot of info about canker sores. It described how cankers start out etc..They last up to 16 days (if untreated) usually 2 weeks, where they occur, and it said that they are NOT associated with other diseases. Now, on the other board someone posted that the cause of cankers could be food, stress, vitamin deficiencies, and HIV! My gosh! Well, cold sores which occur outside the mouth (not inside) are from the herpes virus and when someone gets a cold sore, it's virus related. Canker sores (which occur INSIDE the mouth) are trauma related, women get them more than men, fatigue, food, hormonal, and allergies according to the "Family Gentle Dental Care Association" I have also heard that people that are prone to cankers is likely to be heriditary and a person has most likely developed in their childhood. Now, which is it? Which of the above statements do I believe? Can't be both. I really didn't think that canker sores (not cold sores) were associated with a virus. What do you all know to be a fact? Any dentists/doctors in the house?

I agree with the last post that only cold sores on the outside of the mouth are herpes and virus related. I have never had one of those but I get canker sores sometimes and the main things that cause them for me are anything acidic, I can get by with some acidic foods like tomatoes or orange juice but if I have it too many days in a row i'll get canker sores. Also there are some types of candy that are very acidic and cause them for me. Chocolate has also caused them but not as regular. I was eating those smarties little candies once and ate quite a few packages and my tongue started to just burn from it then I got a canker sore in that same spot. The place where I have gotten them the most though is right in the spot where my wisdom teeth on the bottom were removed. It's totally healed there now but every once in a while I will get a really bad one back there. I usually notice it when I am brushing my teeth at first before I can even see it and then by the next day it's really painful. I do also agree with stress causing them also. I used to get them alot more often when I had a great deal of stress from a job I had at the time. Since I haven't been working there anymore I rarely get them anymore and my face is also clearer. Stress can cause alot of problems with the skin and in my case in my mouth. I also try to avoid eating too much acidic food that really helps me alot too.

I suffered with canker sores on a weekly basis for two years straight. I was worse case dentist had ever seen. He told me to switch to a SLS-free toothpaste. The 3 brands I have found are Jason's & Peelu (both found in health food stores) and Biotene which you can get at Walmart. The Biotene mouthwash is also very good, very soothing. I searched for a treatment for canker sores, trying everything sold in the drugstores or Walmart. None of the ointments worked, not even the new prescription medication made for canker sores. I finally found something that works really well and fast. Its called Ora 5. I started with the tiny vial because I was hesitant to spend even more money on stuff that didn't work. But it does work! So I just purchased the larger 1 oz bottle. It lasts longer than one would think. It's good for other mouth irritations as well like if you scratch your gums with chips or popcorn or get an abrasion from toothbrush bristle.

Posting commercial web addresses is strictly against the Guidelines and is a bannable offense.

[This message has been edited by kitaki (edited 07-31-2003).]

I think they can be caused by too much sugar. That's when I get them. And I've had them off and on since I was a kid. My mom and brother get cold sores. I get canker sores. I didn't know about Anbesol. I'll definitely try that next time. Ouch.

I have read on another board I visit that BANANAS will cause mouth hives (many think they are canker sores) in those who are allergic to them, as will the friuts that are related to bananas (I cant remember what all they are).

I dont remember who said they were allergic to bananas, but still eat them ... but try taking them out of your diet and see if that helps!

------------------
Angel, et al

i have been taking b vitamins and my abundant canker sores are completely gone!!!!!

i was complaining to my aunt about them and she told me she had a problem with them years ago but since she starting supplementing b vitamins they have been a thing of the past!!!

i tried it and it works for me!!! YA!!

I've been getting canker sores for as long as I can remember and I know that they are hereditary - my mom gets them as well. They started off on the inside of my lips and I've since gotten them in my throat and on my tongue. I've had as many as 15 at one time and always have at least one. I've tried pretty much everything you can find in the stores and online and I have yet to find anything that works. I've just found a mouth rinse online that I ordered and hopefully it will work. God, the money I've spent on finding something that helps.

The sores make me so tired and rundown I can't even get out of bed sometimes. I am so tired of hearing that there is nothing that can be done from the doctors. Sometimes I wonder how they would feel if they had to experience not being able to speak or eat or sleep because of the pain. Sometimes I can't go to work because my job consists speaking to people and I can't speak so what's the point.

I get canker sores in my throat. They are so painful and my body feels all sore and icky from them. For a long time I didn't get them, then all of a sudden I keep getting them in my throat which is a difficult place to put anebesol on them. Itis so frustrating!!!

I was just at the doctor on Wednesday and when she looked in my mouth and saw all the canker sores that I had she told me that I had a virus. I had always thought that canker sores were from a virus. Now other things may cause them as well, but they can be virus related.