Avoid Trigger Foods
One of the best ways to prevent canker sores is to avoid trigger foods. These include acidic fruits, chocolate, coffee, and nuts. If you’re unsure what your trigger foods are, try keeping a food diary. Note when you get canker sores and what you’ve eaten in the days leading up to them. After a few weeks, you should be able to identify patterns and figure out which foods you need to avoid. But, of course, avoiding trigger foods isn’t always possible or practical.
If you suffer from recurrent or severe canker sores due to a nutritional deficiency, you can take specific vitamins or supplements as part of your treatment. For example, vitamin B12 and folic acid are two nutrients that effectively reduce the incidence of canker sores.
If you do eat something that makes your canker sore flare up, you can still do other things to provide relief. First, you can try applying a cold compress to the sore for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinsing the mouth with apple cider vinegar can also help to reduce pain and swelling. With a little trial and error, you should be able to find a canker sore treatment that works for you.
