Have you ever had a canker sore? If you have, you know how annoying they can be. Typically—despite canker sores being fairly small—they can be quite painful. Unlike cold sores, canker sores always appear inside of the mouth, either on your lips, your tongue, or the side of your mouth and are not contagious.

Sadly, no one knows exactly what causes these annoying sore and there is no way to treat them. Fortunately, they should heal on their own after a few days, but wouldn’t it be better if you could avoid the experience entirely? Luckily, even though we may not know the cause of canker sores, we do know a few ways you can avoid them.

For example, some fruits and vegetables can irritate your mouth and leave you with a painful sore. This is particularly true of citrus fruits. Similarly, you could develop a canker sore if you bite your gums or tongue.

Similarly, to protect your smile from these annoying sores, we recommend maintaining sound oral health. Another thing you can do is avoid brushing with the wrong type of toothbrush. We recommend using a soft-bristled brush. This type of toothbrush will remove plaque and tartar efficiently without aggravating your gums.

If you have any other questions about what you can do to protect your smile from canker sores, please feel free to contact us soon. We’re excited to hear from you.