Canker sore remedies are like favorite sweaters: everyone has one. Everything from herbs like chamomile and Lady’s Mantle to more 20th century approaches like benzocaine and antibiotics have been used as a remedy. Because there’s no such thing as a permanent cure for canker sores, it’s really a matter of personal choice (and effectiveness) which particular method you choose.

Although a tongue canker is the most common place to get them, cankers can appear anywhere inside the mouth. One important difference between canker sores and cold sores is that canker sores appear around the outside while canker sores are always inside the mouth. They’re also not contagious like cold sores are, because cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus and cankers are caused by…no one knows what. In fact, the question of what causes them is probably one of the last known questions remaining in medicine.

Many modern canker remedies address the possible causes and eliminate them from your life. For example, physical trauma to the inside of the mouth is a common cause of a canker sore on the tongue, inside the cheek, or on the roof of the mouth. Trauma can be from sports, recent dental work (such as the addition of braces or dentures), or even just from accidentally biting down on the inside of your mouth. Or, they may simply be caused by increased stress, emotional or otherwise.

Alternative medicine has some of the most effective (and cheapest) canker sore remedies. For example, rinsing your mouth with salt water (1/2 teaspoon of salt + 8 ounces of water) several times a day should prevent infection and may even speed healing. Other people will recommend that you add baking soda to the mix, or even hydrogen peroxide (a common antiseptic). Even some commercially available mouthwashes, particularly Listerine, advertise that they are “antiseptic” and can contribute to a faster healing time.

Milk of magnesia also works to relieve canker sores in some people. Just rinse your mouth with it two to three times a day. To relieve pain, it helps to suck on ice chips or let them sit on the sore. Some evidence even shows that alum powder, if applied directly to the wound, can be an effective treatment.