What You Can Do If Your Child Gets a Canker Sore

It happens to all of us at one time or another; we get the very uncomfortable and annoying canker sore. Sometimes there small and sometimes they can be very big. The worse part is that it can interfere with a child’s eating. There are actually numerous things that can cause a canker sore to develop, but unfortunately doctors are unable to pinpoint the exact causes. But there are several things that you can do in order to get rid of these canker sores. In some cases you can get them on the inside of your lips, the inner part of your check, or even under your tongue. Either one can be very uncomfortable especially for children.

Some doctors believe that canker sores are caused by stress, a poor diet, or possibly even an allergic reaction to certain types of foods. In most cases the canker sore will just go away on its own, but if it lasts longer than two weeks or prohibits your child from drinking or eating you should take them to the doctor. In some rare cases it ends up being too painful for your child to eat. If this is the case your child’s doctor may recommend that they take some children’s Tylenol to minimize the pain. You can also try by putting on some Anbesol directly onto the canker sore to help get rid of the pain.

You should also make sure that your child avoids any type of gum chewing, or eating of candy. This may add to the pain and irritation of the canker sore. Also avoiding feeding them any type of food that has a lot of spice or any type of tomato sauce. This will definitely make the sore a lot more painful. They may not enjoy eating bland food, but it would definitely be worth it for the first few days, until the sore goes away.

Try your best to make your child as comfortable as possible, and just wait it out. Remember that there is no immediate cure for this type of problem but just try to keep in mind that it will eventually go away. Also keep in mind that canker sores are also very different from cold sores. Cold sores occur on the internal soft tissue of your mouth and are not at all contagious. It also will usually not spread to other parts of the mouth. Remember if it last for more than a few weeks then have your doctor take a look.