Relief for aphthous ulcers

[Prentiss Riddle]

I've had a life-long problem with painful mouth sores, and I'm sure
you want to hear all about it. No? Well, then this is for all the
Googlers out there with the same problem. The rest of you can skip it.

After years of wondering whether I had some dreaded social disease,
I've been assured by several dental and medical professionals that
what I have are aphthous ulcers. They're somewhat mysterious, but
they're not contagious and are an auto-immune problem: sometimes the
mucous membranes in my mouth fight with themselves, resulting in a sore
that takes a while to heal. Several things seem to aggravate them,
including stress and certain foods, but the usual trigger is trauma
-- a bump, or biting my cheek, or a visit to the dentist. Like this
month when I had a root canal done, and ulcers sprang up wherever the
dentist's tools abraded my mouth, putting raw sores in a strategic
location to be irritated by the stubs of the sutures in my gum. Ow!

I've tried every over-the-counter and prescription remedy I could find.
Three things seem to help:

1. Rembrandt Canker Relief Gel

Actually, any over-the-counter benzocaine-based ointment
provides temporary relief, but this one works the best for me.
Unfortunately the Rembrandt soothing mouthwash didn't do much,
nor did their special toothpaste. (Uh-oh -- this item seems to
be sold out everywhere and is no longer listed at the Rembrandt
site -- don't tell me they've discontinued it!)

2. Chlorhexidine gluconate oral rinse

Doesn't provide a quick fix, but a couple of days of rinsing with
this stuff seems to make the sores heal up. It's said to turn
your teeth brown if you use it too often, but the real downside
is that it messes up your taste perception so everything tastes
awful for several hours after you use it. (Maybe it would work
for weight loss. :-) )

3. Debacterol

"Sulphuric acid and sulfonated phenolics in aqueous solution" --
this is the elephant gun, to use when a sore is in an especially
painful place and I can't stand it. Basically it cauterizes the
exposed tissue so the sore is still there but no longer feeling
pain. I'm not sure I'm supposed to have this stuff; the product
literature is all aimed at dentists (I scored my little bottle
from a dental assistant). It seems potentially quite dangerous
if I get it in an eye or some other vulnerable spot, so I use it
with extreme caution.

There you have it. Let us all pray for a cure before I post again.

Links and discussion at:

http://www.io.com/~riddle/time/?item=20020418

-- Prentiss Riddle ("aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada")
-- rid...@io.com / http://www.io.com/~riddle/

[NOYB]

How about Apthasol? It's a little difficult to apply, but the results are
great...healing in a couple of days rather than 10-14 days.

"Prentiss Riddle" <rid...@eris.io.com> wrote in message
news:r5Iv8.101897$K5.83...@bin5.nnrp.aus1.giganews.com...

[nIcK---S]

I've never heard of that but I'll look for it now !
"NOYB" <NO...@NOYB.com> wrote in message
news:338w8.12640$nc.28...@typhoon.tampabay.rr.com...

[ares]

Is that anything like Ora 5(I think that's iodine-based)?
ares

"NOYB" <NO...@NOYB.com> wrote in message
news:338w8.12640$nc.28...@typhoon.tampabay.rr.com...

[Tispe]

You can get a prescription for a tube of Aphthasol from your doctor. It
works very well.

Tispe
"ares" <ar...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:Es8A8.29040$iJ.1...@nwrddc02.gnilink.net...

[Davelagraffe]

Interesting post - I have always wondered if there wasn't a quicker way to get
those bothersome things to go away faster than the usual several days to a week
they seem to last....

Not one of the big problems in life, just one of those little annoying things
that, taken in conjunction with millions of other little annoying things, make
life miserable.

Yeah, an instant cure would be nice.

Love, Leora