Table of contents:
- What causes thrush?
- Choice of natural thrush remedies that are available at home
- 1. Honey
- 2. Salt water
- 3. Coconut
- 4. Used tea bags
- 5. Aloe vera
- 6. Ice cubes
- 7. Avoid spicy and acidic foods
- 8. Eat yogurt
- 9. Make use of baking soda
- 10. Use echinacea
- Choice of medical sprue medication
- 1. Paracetamol
- 2. Ibuprofen
- 3. Mouthwash
- What are the alternatives to canker sores for children?
- Do canker sores need to consult a doctor?
It seems that almost everyone has experienced something called canker sores. These gum and mouth problems can appear either on the inner cheeks, lips, or tongue. Thrush can be very painful to make you lazy to eat and talk. Are you looking for a canker sore, but are confused about it?
Not only drugs that require a doctor's prescription, you can also use natural canker sores that are effective for both adults and children as below.
What causes thrush?
Quoted from the American Dental Association, canker sores are small, superficial, painful sores that appear on the soft tissues in the mouth, such as at the base of the gums, under the tongue, or along the side of the oral cavity.
Thrush is often referred to as aphthous ulcer, aphthous stomatitis, canker sores, or mouth ulcer. Thrush can appear only one or several fruits at once, but canker sores are not as contagious as cold sores or cold sores.
The most common causes of thrush are weakened immune system, deficiency of vitamin B12 and / or folic acid, and certain bacterial or viral infections. Sometimes, changes in the body's hormones, such as during menstruation or pregnancy can also cause canker sores to appear.
In some cases, trauma to the soft tissues of the mouth can cause canker sores. For example, when the tongue or lip is bitten when chewing food, the tongue is scratched by sharp food such as chips, or when something goes wrong when brushing your teeth, such as too hard so that it injures the gums.
Choice of natural thrush remedies that are available at home
Although canker sores are not dangerous, the pain can interfere with daily activities. Sprue can actually heal by itself, which is about one to two weeks. The recovery time is quite long, it is not impossible to make you lazy to talk and also eat food.
Try to treat stubborn canker sores with a choice of natural canker sores, including the following.
1. Honey
One of the benefits of honey is as a natural canker sores medicine which is quite effective. The trick is to simply apply honey on top of the canker sores. Reporting from Prevention, honey has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that can help reduce stinging while speeding up the recovery process for canker sores.
This conclusion was obtained from a study from Saudi Arabia on 94 participants who routinely rubbed honey on canker sores in their mouths for four consecutive days.
2. Salt water
You can use salt water gargling for about 1-2 minutes as a natural remedy for canker sores. This is because salt has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties to prevent your mouth ulcer from developing.
In addition, salt can also help speed up the healing process of canker sores. Not only as a natural thrush remedy, salt is useful for preventing infections in the mouth.
To make a salt water solution, simply add one and a half teaspoons of salt to one glass of warm water. Stir well, then rinse the water in your mouth and don't swallow it.
Throw away immediately after finishing and rinse with drinking water. Repeat gargling with salt water several times a day until the canker sores appear to be deflating.
3. Coconut
Coconut is believed to be able to be a natural canker sore on the tongue or lips. Coconut works to prevent wound inflammation from getting worse while reducing the pain that can arise from thrush.
Then, other benefits of coconut are also believed to help cool the body temperature. Where in some cases, heartburn is believed to be one of the causes of canker sores.
How to use coconut as a natural sprue medicine is actually quite easy. Mix honey with coconut milk or coconut oil, then apply this mixture on your canker sores. Repeat 3-4 times a day, until the canker sores begin to appear to shrink.
4. Used tea bags
You can also compress used tea bags as a natural thrush remedy. Tea bags that are alkaline can neutralize the acidic area of the mouth so that it doesn't worsen the pain caused by the canker sores.
Not only that, tea leaves are also able to fight infections and inflammation that cause thrush. Moreover, according to the American Academy of Periodontology, the content in tea can help improve gum health and reduce the risk of gum disease (periodontitis).
The method is quite easy because it is enough to stick the used tea bag for about five minutes on your canker sores.
Apart from regular black tea, you can also use chamomile tea because it also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
5. Aloe vera
One canker sore on the tongue or other area can make your entire mouth feel uncomfortable and hot. Another natural thrush remedy that you can use is aloe vera.
For that, prepare real aloe vera leaves and wash them thoroughly. Then, apply the sap or aloe vera to taste directly on your canker sores. Leave it on for a few hours and repeat two to three times a day.
Aloe vera is effective for removing mouth sores on the tongue because of its function as an anti-inflammatory and natural pain reliever.
6. Ice cubes
Within a few days, the canker sores in the area of your mouth can become swollen and painful. In order for the canker sores to deflate quickly and heal, try to compress the tongue with ice cubes wrapped in a soft cloth.
The cool feeling that comes from ice cubes can be a natural thrush remedy because it can relieve pain. If it is difficult, ice cubes on the part of the tongue where the canker sores are located until completely melt in the mouth
7. Avoid spicy and acidic foods
Spicy or acidic foods can exacerbate inflammation and cause surface damage to the soft tissues of the body. So, first limit the portion of food that is too spicy or sour while you are having thrush.
To treat natural thrush, choose foods with green vegetables that taste neutral or sweet, milk, coconut water, and tea. These food and drink choices are not acidic so they are safe for your canker sores.
8. Eat yogurt
One of the causes of thrush is the presence of bacteria that multiply in the oral cavity. Therefore, you can make yogurt as a way to treat thrush naturally. This is because one of the benefits of yogurt is to maintain the balance of bacteria in your mouth and body.
Yogurt is a good source of probiotics, such as lactobacillus can help eliminate bad bacteria that are in your body. As a preventive measure and also speed up the healing process, it is enough to consume enough yogurt in the morning.
9. Make use of baking soda
Usually used for the purposes of making cakes, you can also use baking soda or baking soda as a natural sprue medicine available at home. Baking soda is claimed to help relieve pain, neutralize acid content, and irritation problems.
Moreover, the mouth has an acid content so that sores caused by thrush can be even more painful. You just need to mix the baking soda with water until it becomes a paste.
Then apply to the canker sores using a cotton swab or cotton bud. In addition, you can also rinse your mouth with a solution of baking soda with warm water.
10. Use echinacea
Echinacea is a plant whose roots or leaves can be used as a treatment. As an herbal medicine, you can also use it as a treatment for thrush.
This is because the ingredients have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties and can maintain immunity. You can consume echinacea by brewing it like tea. This is useful as a preventive measure and wound healing due to thrush.
Choice of medical sprue medication
In some conditions, canker sores can be quite large, occur continuously in a matter of days, and cause annoying pain that makes it difficult for you to speak, eat and drink, to carry out daily activities.
To speed up the recovery process for canker sores, you can also use several types of oral thrush medications without a prescription or a doctor's prescription as below.
1. Paracetamol
As a pain reliever due to thrush, you can use paracetamol which is easily available in stalls or pharmacies without a doctor's prescription. Paracetamol also tends to be safe for consumption, both for children, adults, and the elderly.
2. Ibuprofen
For a stronger effect, ibuprofen can also be used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation caused by thrush. Ibuprofen itself is included in the drug class nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID).
When taking ibuprofen, you should see the recommended use or follow a doctor's prescription first. Especially if ibuprofen is used to treat thrush in children.
3. Mouthwash
In addition to natural mouthwash with a salt solution or baking soda, you can also use certain mouthwashes. However, not all types of mouthwash can be used as a canker sore.
Most mouthwash products on the market can only treat mild and superficial canker sores, for example, from being scratched by food or a tongue biting while chewing. Certain canker sores caused by bacterial infection are also included.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania say that until now there is no mouthwash that is really effective as a canker sore.
However, make sure the mouthwash you choose contains one of the four things below to treat thrush, including:
- Antiseptic / antibiotic, to kill and reduce bacterial infection around the wound.
- Antifungal agent, to reduce the growth of yeast infection in the mouth.
- Antihistamines, to reduce pain and discomfort in the mouth.
- Substance corticosteroids, to treat swelling and inflammation due to thrush.
Of course you need to know in advance what causes the thrush you are experiencing. Consult with your doctor to find out the cause and type of medication or mouthwash that is right for dealing with these canker sores.
What are the alternatives to canker sores for children?
Canker sores generally disappear within 7 to 14 days without treatment. However, not all children can endure the pain caused by thrush. You can actually do natural and medical remedies as above, but of course you need some adjustments so that the canker sores for this child remain safe and effective.
As a parent, several ways to deal with thrush that occurs in children safely that you can do include:
- Avoid giving children favorite foods that make canker sores worse, such as snacks. Also avoid foods with spicy or sour flavors.
- Cold compress using ice cubes to relieve pain in the mouth.
- Gargle with a solution of salt water or baking soda and warm water. Make sure children spit out after rinsing and don't swallow them.
- Use mouthwash in the form of a liquid antacid solution 4 times a day. For children over 6 years, a solution of 1 tablespoon of antacid with warm water to rinse. Then, for children under 6 years, simply dip a cotton ball in the solution and apply it to the canker sores.
- Give pain relievers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen as directed. Ibuprofen is not recommended for babies under 6 months of age, children who are dehydrated or have persistent vomiting.
- Apply an antiseptic solution, such as chlorhexidine or hydrogen peroxide to speed up healing of the canker sores. Give it a small amount and lightly as it can cause a brief stinging sensation which is displeased for children.
Do canker sores need to consult a doctor?
Call and consult a doctor if you have given natural or medical sprue medicine, but have not shown signs of recovery for more than 2 weeks or 14 days.
In addition, you also need to consult a doctor if the thrush is also accompanied by any of the symptoms, such as:
- Pain in the mouth area increases
- Difficulty swallowing
- Signs of infection around the sore mouth - pus, discharge from the wound, or swelling
- Signs of dehydration - small and dark urine, excessive thirst, dry mouth, and dizziness
- Fever - up to accompanied by convulsions in children