rash of canker sores?

My three-year-old has a rash in his mouth, and his doctor says it's
canker sores -- but she's puzzled, because she's never seen that many.
It isn't hand and mouth disease, she says, because it's just in one spot.

Have any of you dealt with this before? And any advice on getting a kid
whose mouth hurts to eat? He's even turning down popsicles and rice

stasya...

I get tons of canker sores for some reason now and again, and I find it
easier to actually eat things that are warm rather than cold. Hot
(warm) chocolate or some other warm drink loosens up your mouth really
nicely and kind of gets it ready to eat. Then of course food that
doesn't require a lot of chewing. And yes, you can get pretty cranky
when you're hungry but your mouth is sore. (For whoever said it won't
hurt him not to eat....) A straw is handy as well for getting liquids
of any sort down the throat without touching anything in the mouth.

pudding, so we're getting desperate...

Anonymama...

I'll give that a try. I remember that being one of the few things I
could eat when I was recovering from having my tonsils removed.

darth_breather...

Sharp tooth near the site may be the problem. Or could he be biting
that spot?
Dentist maybe?

Cold liquids might be easier to eat - anything that doesn't need
sucking or biting.
Fortified milk of some kind?

Anonymama...

I hadn't thought of that, but it's a good idea -- making sure every
little bit he gets is all it can be. Thanks.

dejablues...

Hand-foot-mouth disease?

Anonymama...

His doctor thought not, because he hasn't had a fever and it doesn't
look quite right for it. But I just found out that a friend of his from
playgroup seems to have the same thing, so perhaps it's a virus after
all -- and he just doesn't have all the symptoms. Hmmm.

jojo...

When my kid had hand & mouth, the doctor gave him a liquid antacid to swish
his mouth with.
I know this is not the same desease, but it is soothing....

Anonymama...

I'll keep that in mind, in case that turns out to be what he has. Thanks!

If he hasn't been to a dentist yet, it's not too soon to start. Does he
brush his teeth and rinse after meals?
Not eating isn't likely to harm him. Just keep offering soft foods and cold
icy drinks.
Mouth sores tend to heal very quickly. Baking soda works wonders on mouth
ulcers, but might not work for a three-year-old.

toypup...

How about Baby Oragel? It'll numb it up a bit. Have you tried Advil?

Anonymama...

Doing wonders, thanks.

toypup...

You're welcome. :)

Barbara...

Yes, that happened to One, but I cannot recall how old he was at the
time.

Anonymama...

A rash of them? That's what's really puzzling me.

Barbara...

Can you think of any particular reason that I would lie about such a
thing? Yes, it looked like a rash, as best as I recall. We now recall
that we treated with Maalox and Benadryl mixed together in proportions
recommended by the pediatrician and *painted* on his mouth and tongue.
And we continued to use non-SLS toothpaste for years.

I recall that we painted something on the sores ... I want to say it
was Maalox and something else, but I can't remember. I'll see if DH
recalls in the morning and update.

If you're using toothpaste on him, STOP. Just about every brand has
sodium lauryl sulfate, which exacerbates canker sores. There are a
couple of SLS-free toothpastes out there, but they tend to be pricey.

Hope he feels better soon.