How to cure sores on the tongue with home remedies

Muhammad Usman Babar
4 min readMay 28, 2020

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How to cure sores on the tongue
Photo by Parker Gibbons on Unsplash

Discover how to heal sores on the tongue quickly and easily. Multiple home remedies will help you relieve discomfort, irritation, and pain.

Canker sores are small wounds that appear in the mouth, especially on the tongue, and can make eating and talking uncomfortable. These ulcers are usually round or oval, with a whitish appearance, and can come in different sizes.

Causes of sores

Several causes can cause this condition. In general, they usually appear due to a viral contagion, a stressful situation, and many nerves or a bite while you chew. Also, canker sores can appear in people of all ages, including babies.

Although the exact cause is sometimes difficult to determine, these are the most common :

  • An accidental bite on the tongue.
  • Alteration of the pH of the mouth.
  • Allergies to some foods.
  • Lack of vitamins like B12, folic acid, or iron.
  • Stress.
  • Consumption of certain medications.
  • Eat citrus foods like lemon, pineapple, kiwi, orange …
  • Having certain autoimmune diseases.
  • Smoking.
  • Viral infections.
  • Hormonal imbalances.

Indeed, prevention is always better than regret, and in this case, it is also applicable. Once we have thrush on our tongue, we can no longer do anything other than using different methods until they heal. However, you can maintain a healthy and balanced diet to prevent them.

If you still have sores on your tongue for some other reason that we have mentioned, you should know that it will take two to three weeks to disappear. The pain should subside after ten days and, although it is normal for them to disappear on their own, we show you how to cure and avoid canker sores on the tongue.

How to cure sores on the tongue with home remedies

To reduce the healing time of canker sores and not suffer as much pain until they disappear, pay attention to these suggestions. With the following care they can disappear in a few days, but remember that they are not a substitute for your doctor’s instructions.

  • Warm water and salt: it is one of the best treatments to relieve blisters on the tongue. This is thanks to the antiseptic properties of the salt, which helps prevent infections and reduce inflammation. To do this, mix 3 tablespoons of salt with a liter of water and heat until it boils. Once it cools down, gargle with it for a minute. To enjoy its benefits, repeat the process at least 4 times a day.
  • Ice also relieves sores on the tongue as it reduces inflammation. Place a cube on the canker sores for a few seconds to ease the pain. Repeat when necessary with rest intervals to avoid burning the tongue. Drinking cold water also helps decrease pain.
  • Rinsing and gargling with warm chamomile tea can also help you get some relief. This is due to its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. Prepare an infusion with this plant and gargle with it throughout the day.
  • Silver nitrate calms the discomfort of canker sores on the tongue and eliminates them in a few days.
  • Another natural solution that gets good results is lemon juice. At first, it will sting and itch a little, but you will get improvement thanks to its antibacterial power.
  • Watch out for some home remedies like baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to gargle. Even though many people recommend them, doctors reject the use of these products for the oral cavity. The reason is that they are very abrasive, unsuitable, and could exacerbate the problem.

Be aware that sores on the tongue are small painful ulcers that require proper practice to heal properly. Otherwise, it could make this condition worse.

How to avoid canker sores on the tongue

We already said before that the best way to avoid sores is to prevent them and, for this, there is nothing better than following these guidelines:

  • Don’t rummage through wounds when you accidentally bite yourself, it will delay healing and lead to possible infections.
  • Do not eat very hot foods while you have blisters in your mouth, you will lengthen the healing time.
  • Eat soft foods that do not require much effort when chewing.
  • Avoid acidic, sweet, and spicy foods at all costs until the canker sores are healed.
  • Drink cold water from time to time to keep the area cool and to reduce pain and inflammation.
  • Maintain good oral hygiene, brush your teeth after every meal, and floss to get rid of food debris stored between your teeth. If you don’t, the batteries could proliferate in your mouth.
  • You can also use mouthwash while you have canker sores on your tongue, it will help to eliminate excess bacteria and will help to heal faster.

To conclude, if you have used all these recommendations and after a few days you do not get improvements, visit your doctor. Explain the problem to him and he can prescribe medications to help alleviate symptoms and end the problem.

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