Home Symptoms Canker sores

Canker sores — what to take?

Aphthae are small painful ulcerations on the oral mucosa, with a whitish-yellow base and erythematous halo. They heal spontaneously in 7-14 days. Causes: stress, trauma, deficiencies (B12, iron, folate), genetic factors.

5 recommended OTC drugs
4,387 pharmacies available

OTC — no prescription

What you can take for canker sores

Informativ. Nu înlocuiește sfatul medicului. Consultă medicul sau farmacistul înainte de a lua orice medicament.

Types

Minor — under 1 cm, most common, healing in 7-10 days, without scarring.

Major — over 1 cm, deep, painful, 2-6 weeks healing, may scar.

Herpetiform — multiple small ulcerations, grouped.

OTC treatment

Topical gels with benzydamine (Tantum Verde gel) — anti-inflammatory, analgesic.

With local corticosteroids — hydrocortisone orabase — accelerates healing.

Chlorhexidine mouthwash (Corsodyl) — reduces superinfection.

Hyaluronic acid spray (Gengigel, Aftamed) — accelerates healing.

Gels with 2% lidocaine — local anesthetic for comfort.

Supplements — B12, folic acid, iron in confirmed deficiency (recurrent aphthae often improve with supplements).

Care measures

  • Avoid spicy, acidic, salty foods.
  • Toothpaste without sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) — may worsen.
  • Gentle brushing, soft brush.
  • Stress reduction.
  • Impeccable oral hygiene.

When it is an alarm sign

Very frequent or persistent aphthae, recurrent major aphthae, association with systemic symptoms (fever, lymphadenopathy, arthralgia) — may suggest systemic diseases: Behçet, celiac disease, Crohn, PFAPA syndrome, HIV infection. Requires medical evaluation.

Medical disclaimer: the information in this guide is for informational purposes only and does not replace medical or pharmacist advice. For diagnosis and treatment consult a healthcare professional.

Nights, weekends, holidays

24/7 pharmacies for canker sores

Canker sores doesn't wait for office hours. If you need a medicine at 2 AM or on a weekend, open the map with the 24/7 filter on and find the nearest on-call pharmacy. Major cities have several round-the-clock pharmacies — the per-city pages below list them all, with address, phone and verified opening hours.

Call ahead before you leave, especially at night — on-call schedules can change and stock for some prescription items may be limited between deliveries.

Search the pharmacy

Medicine categories for canker sores

Step by step

How to find a pharmacy fast for canker sores

Open the interactive map and grant location permission — you'll immediately see pharmacies sorted by distance, each with its opening hours and a one-tap route in Google Maps. If it's night or a weekend, switch on the 24/7 filter to keep only the on-call ones. For canker sores most of the listed remedies are over the counter, so you can walk in without a prescription, but check stock and prices first to avoid wasted trips.

If you have a preferred active ingredient (paracetamol, ibuprofen, etc.), search it in the comparator before you leave — you'll see which chain has it cheapest near you and whether it's in stock. For chronic prescriptions, save your favourite pharmacy in the app and turn on hours notifications — it saves unnecessary trips, especially when treatment for canker sores runs over weeks.

When to see a doctor

If any of these signs appear, consult a doctor — OTC treatment is not enough:

  • Aphthae over 3 weeks without healing
  • Very frequent aphthae (monthly)
  • Aphthae with fever, lymphadenopathy
  • Suspected celiac disease, Crohn
  • Aphthae at a single location, with induration

Frequently asked

Common questions

What causes canker sores?
Multifactorial etiology — stress, trauma (bite), nutritional deficiencies, hormonal, genetic factors, foods (pineapple, citrus, nuts), SLS toothpaste.
Most effective remedy?
Topical corticosteroid gel (hydrocortisone orabase) — shortens healing by 2-3 days. Combined with hyaluronic acid for repair.
Are they contagious?
No — simple aphthae are not. Unlike oral herpes (easily confused) which is contagious.
Frequent canker sores — what investigations?
Complete blood count, ferritin, B12, folate, anti-transglutaminase (celiac), glucose. At high frequency or with systemic symptoms — specialist consultation.

See also

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