Marketed as “The first and only FDA-approved prescription medicine for the treatment of canker sores!”, Aphthasol® is an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic agent that acts by inhibiting histamines and leukotrienes.
Containing the active ingredient amlexanox, Aphthasol® is applied as a paste directly to mouth sores.
Canker sores contain “activated mast cells”, which secrete histamines (which cause allergies), and leukotrienes (which cause inflammation).
The makers of Aphthasol® claim that their medication heals mouth ulcers 70% faster than no treatment.
70% faster than doing nothing is good, but that doesn’t indicate how well it performs against competing products or treatments.
The downside is, unlike most treatments, since it’s only available by prescription, you still have to go to your doctor to get it, which likely means a fee for the office visit or a copay, in addition to your portion of the prescription itself.
Further, as with all topical medications, Aphthasol® treats the symptoms, not the cause, and therefore does nothing to prevent further outbreaks of mouth sores.
Other prescription drugs for mouth ulcers include antiseptic mouthwashes, such as chlorhexidine (Peridex®, Periogard® ) and oral anti-inflammatory products, triamcinolone (Kenalog in Orabase® ), and hydrocortisone (Orabase-HCA® ).
For long term results, consider making some minor changes to your lifestyle and cure your canker sores so they never come back.