Canker sores are common, frustrating minor mouth sores that often occur during flu season. If you tend to get them, you’ve probably encountered a canker sore or two in your lifetime. But canker sores aren’t just annoying; they’re also extremely painful and difficult to treat at home. That’s why so many people turn to natural remedies such as salt to ease the pain and speed up the healing process. Does putting salt on canker sores help? Let’s take a look at this natural remedy and the pros and cons of using it.
Does putting salt on a canker sore help?
A canker sore is a minor mouth infection caused by a virus (herpes simplex virus) or bacteria (staphylococcus). The infection causes the skin surrounding your mouth to become swollen and tender. You may also experience some pain and have a fever. Because of their appearance and symptoms, canker sores are often confused with other types of mouth sores.
What Is A Canker Sore?
- The canker sore is a small ulcer on the inside of the mouth. It’s caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV1 or HSV2), which is transmitted through saliva.
- A canker sore typically appears as a small, painful ulcer on the skin of the inside of your cheek or lip, and it may also appear on your gums. The size, shape, and color of a canker sore will vary from person to person.
- Itching may accompany symptoms of a canker sore, but some people don’t experience any itching at all. The pain associated with a canker sore is usually intense and will be present for two to three weeks before disappearing completely. A canker sore usually heals within four to six weeks without treatment, but in rare cases, it could take longer than six weeks to heal or could not heal at all.
Does Putting Salt On A Canker Sore Help?
Salt is a natural anti-inflammatory
The first thing to consider when looking at salt for canker sores is its natural anti-inflammatory properties. Salt has been used for centuries in folk medicine as a treatment for many ailments, and it’s made sense because of its anti-inflammatory effect. Not only does it reduce swelling, but it also reduces the pain associated with canker sores.
Salt reduces pain and speeds healing
When you put salt on your canker sore, you’re effectively reducing the swelling that occurs during a canker sore. This allows the area to heal faster and more efficiently than it normally would without this treatment. The salt also has an antibacterial effect that helps prevent the growth of bacteria in your mouth which makes it easier to treat your canker sore naturally at home.
Salt is safe to use at home
Saltworks well for canker sores because it’s easy to use at home. You can put it on your canker sore right before bed and then wake up to find the swelling has reduced, allowing the area to heal faster. It’s also safe because there are no known side effects that come with using salt, making it an ideal treatment for canker sores.
Salt is easy to find at home
Because salt is a very common household item, you probably have it in your kitchen already. That means you don’t need to spend money on something that you’ll only be using once or twice during your treatment for a minor mouth sore. You can also put salt on your canker sore right after showering, which makes it an easy way to treat canker sores quickly and effectively while at home or while traveling if you need to be somewhere quickly.
Salt doesn’t cost much
One of the best things about salt is that it’s so cheap. You can pick up a bag of table salt for under $10 and it can last you quite a while, depending on how much you use each day. That means that if you use just a little bit of salt each day, you’ll be able to treat your canker sore effectively without having to spend money on expensive over-the-counter treatments.
How To Use Salt With A Canker Sore?
Salt can help kill the bacteria that cause canker sores.
Salt is a natural antiseptic and will help kill bacteria when it is applied to the affected area. It’s also a good idea to use salt as soon as you notice the start of a canker sore because it will reduce swelling and speed up healing.
Salt has a drying effect on the mouth and throat that helps relieve pain and inflammation.
Saltworks as a natural mouthwash, which helps remove excess fluid from your mouth, which in turn relieves pain in your mouth or throat (gums). This may be due to salt’s ability to draw moisture from your body, but its antiseptic properties also play a role in reducing inflammation in your mouth or throat when used topically on an open sore.
Salt can help reduce swelling in the mouth and throat.
When salt is applied to an open sore, it helps to draw excess fluid from the surrounding area by drawing moisture out of your body. By drawing fluid out of your mouth and throat, the swelling caused by a canker sore goes down and you may find that a canker sore heals more quickly.
Salt mixed with water is a natural mouthwash that helps kill germs and soothe an open sore.
Salt mixed with water makes a great natural mouthwash that can kill germs and soothe your canker sore at the same time. A small amount of salt mixed with water will have about the same effect as many commercially-available types of mouthwash or over-the-counter medications for canker sores. You should mix one teaspoon of salt per cup of warm water for best results, but you’ll need about four tablespoons of salt for every cup of warm water you use.
Salt can be used to help kill bacteria that cause canker sores.
Salt is a natural antiseptic and will help kill bacteria when it is applied to the affected area. It’s also a good idea to use salt as soon as you notice the start of a canker sore because it will reduce swelling and speed up healing.
The Benefits Of Using Salt With A Canker Sore
Salt is an anti-inflammatory and can help reduce pain
Canker sores are caused by a bacterial infection. While many people who get canker sores don’t know exactly what causes them, there are some risk factors that may contribute to developing the sores. These include poor oral hygiene, stress, and taking certain medications. In addition to these factors, salt is known to have anti-inflammatory properties. This means that it can help reduce the pain of a canker sore by reducing inflammation in the mouth, which often leads to discomfort and swelling.
Salt draws out the pus from a canker sore
There is some evidence that using salt on a minor mouth sore like a canker sore increases the amount of fluid in your mouth and draws out any excess pus or bacteria inside it. This helps to speed up healing time for minor sores like canker sores, which means you’ll be able to treat them faster, with less pain, and be able to eat more normally.
Salt also works to prevent canker sores from forming in the first place
Sodium chloride, or table salt, is a naturally occurring substance in the human body. It’s also found in some foods such as potatoes and grains, so it’s not uncommon for people to have it inside their bodies. Sodium chloride is a component of our blood and helps regulate blood pressure by helping to maintain fluid balance in the body. As you may know, there are two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine glands. When we sweat, we produce apocrine sweat—a substance that contains proteins and other chemicals that help protect skin from bacteria as well as keep our bodies cool when we’re hot). There is also some evidence that suggests that sodium chloride can help your body produce more apocrine sweat.
Salt can also relieve pain in other ways
Sodium chloride is also known to have a number of other health benefits, including being able to relax the muscles in the body, reducing pain, and helping with muscle cramps and spasms. Because it’s an anti-inflammatory substance, it may also help with relieving pain that results from other causes such as arthritis or back pain.
Conclusion
Canker sores are common, frustrating minor mouth sores that often occur during flu season. If you tend to get them, you’ve probably encountered a canker sore or two in your lifetime. But canker sores aren’t just annoying; they’re also extremely painful and difficult to treat at home. That’s why so many people turn to natural remedies such as salt to ease the pain and speed up the healing process. Does putting salt on a canker sore help? Let’s take a look at this natural remedy and the pros and cons of using it. Hopefully, the information presented here will help you decide for yourself whether or not salt can help relieve your canker sores.