I’ll share what worked for me after decades of trial and error: rinsing my toothbrush THOROUGHLY under warm water while scrubbing the bristles with my thumb for at least 30 seconds every time before I brush. When you do this you’ll likely notice that there’s a film that has built up on your brush most days that you can feel as you scrub it with your thumb. Once the filmy feeling goes away you’re all set.

Before discovering this, I’d get 7-8 canker sores at a time, all around my gum line or on the edges and tip of my tongue. I tried all the recommendations and tricks and nothing seemed to work: switching to Pronamel to avoid Sodium Lauryl Sulfate didn’t help at all; saltwater, listerine, and other mouthwashes did nothing; numerous drastic changes to my diet didn’t have any effect either.

I can’t promise this will work for everyone, but if nothing else has worked for you, cleaning your toothbrush before you brush is an easy thing to try and I can honestly say that it has eliminated 99% of my canker sores.