Brushing up on canker sores

Q: I get canker sores pretty frequently and am wondering if there is a way to get rid of them?

Dr. Wright: If you wait long enough, canker sores usually go away on their own. But there may be an even easier solution that can help you from getting them in the first place: switching toothpastes.

In one study, 10 people with recurrent canker sores were given two different toothpastes to use, for three months each. One contained 1.2 percent sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and the other was SLS-free. Otherwise, the toothpastes were identical. When researchers compared the three-month periods, they found that the group using the SLS-free paste had 64 percent fewer canker sores than the other group.

The problem is, virtually all of the popular brands of toothpaste contain SLS. However, there are some lesser-known brands sold in health food stores that are free of the compound.

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