Canker Sores, Explained by the Science
Not home remedies. Not medical disclaimers. Mechanisms, evidence levels, and honest answers — written by someone who's read every study so you don't have to.
Every claim is sourced. Every treatment is evidence-rated.
Core Guides
The five pages every canker sore sufferer should read.
What Are Canker Sores? The Complete Guide to Aphthous Ulcers
Canker sores (aphthous ulcers) are painful oral lesions affecting 20% of the population. Here's the actual science on what they are, their three types, and what makes them distinct from cold sores.
Read guide →What Causes Canker Sores? — Mechanisms, Not Just Triggers
Canker sores are immune-mediated, not viral. Here's the actual mechanism — why immune dysregulation, nutritional deficits, SLS, stress, and genetics all converge to destroy the oral epithelium.
Read guide →Best Supplements for Canker Sore Prevention — Evidence-Graded Review
L-lysine, B12, zinc, iron, folate — which supplements actually reduce canker sore frequency? We grade the evidence for each and recommend specific products.
Read guide →Natural Remedies and Home Remedies for Canker Sores — Do They Actually Work?
Salt water, Manuka honey, baking soda, ACV, aloe — every popular natural canker sore remedy graded by what the evidence actually shows. Some work. Most don't. A few are actively harmful.
Read guide →How to Get Rid of a Canker Sore Fast — Evidence-Ranked Treatments
OTC and prescription treatments ranked by what actually speeds healing versus what just numbs pain. Steroid gels, cauterization, laser — and what to do right now if you have one.
Read guide →Canker Sore vs. Cold Sore — How to Tell Them Apart (And Why It Matters)
Canker sores and cold sores are completely different conditions — one is immune-mediated and non-contagious, the other is a contagious herpes virus. Getting this wrong means treating with the wrong drugs. Here's how to tell them apart definitively.
Read guide →Get the Treatments Guide
Free 2-page PDF: every canker sore treatment grouped by how it works and rated by the actual evidence — what speeds healing, what only numbs pain, and what's a waste of time.
Recent Articles
All articles →Canker Sores in HIV and Immunocompromised Patients — A Different Problem
Immunocompromised patients — HIV, chemotherapy, transplant — get canker sores more often and more severely. The mechanism is different, the differential diagnosis is broader, and some standard treatments change. Thalidomide has FDA approval for this population. Here's what the evidence shows.
Read →Alcohol and Canker Sores — Does Drinking Cause Them?
Alcohol doesn't directly cause canker sores — but it irritates active ones, and chronic heavy drinking depletes zinc, B12, and folate through documented pathways. Here's what the research actually supports and what it doesn't.
Read →The Anatomy of a Canker Sore — What's Actually Happening in Your Mouth
A canker sore isn't a simple wound. Understanding the three tissue zones, why they hurt so much, and what's happening at the cellular level changes how you think about treatment.
Read →