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Canker sores guide

Canker sores treatment online in Virginia and West Virginia

This guide is for classic recurrent canker sores — not for a single sore lasting more than 2 weeks, sores with genital ulcers or eye inflammation, sores with GI symptoms or weight loss, a weakened immune system, or a first severe outbreak after age 40.

Start online

Start a $59 online review for Canker sores.

Canker sores (recurrent aphthous ulcers) are common, painful sores inside the mouth — on the cheeks, lips, tongue, or floor of the mouth. Most classic, recurring canker sores can be treated with a topical prescription. A sore that will not heal after 2 weeks, or one that comes with other warning symptoms, needs an in-person look instead.

If treatment is appropriate, your physician can send a non-controlled prescription to your pharmacy and provide portal instructions for the next step.

Quick facts

  • You must be physically in Virginia and West Virginia at the time of request
  • Starts at $59
  • No insurance needed
  • No app download
  • Physician review around the clock
  • Non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy when appropriate
  • A work or school note can be included when medically appropriate
  • Response windows: 24/7, every day

Common symptoms

  • Painful round or oval sores inside the cheeks, lips, tongue, or floor of the mouth
  • Sores that come back periodically
  • Pain with eating, drinking, or brushing your teeth
  • One or a few sores that usually heal within 1-2 weeks

May fit online care

  • Adults 18 and older
  • Classic, recurring canker sores
  • No single sore lasting more than 2 weeks
  • No genital sores, eye inflammation, GI symptoms, or unexplained weight loss
  • Able to eat and drink, and able to send a clear photo

Look for another care setting

  • A single sore lasting more than 2 weeks without healing
  • Sores on your genitals or eye redness, pain, or inflammation along with mouth sores
  • Diarrhea, abdominal pain, or unexplained weight loss along with mouth sores
  • A weakened immune system, or being unable to eat or drink
  • A first severe outbreak after age 40, or a white patch that does not wipe off

What to have ready

  • A clear photo of the sore(s)
  • How many sores you have and how long the longest-lasting one has been there
  • Whether you have any genital sores, eye symptoms, GI symptoms, or weight loss
  • Any treatment already tried, medication allergies, and current medications

What happens next

Start the request on the website, answer the fit questions, and choose the response window you want. If the concern still fits this service, a physician reviews it and sends a secure update after sign-in. When appropriate, non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy, and a basic work or school note can be included at physician discretion.

Your physician

Every visit is personally reviewed by Ankur Fadia, MD — board-certified, cardiology-fellowship-trained, and Alpha Omega Alpha. Recognized with the Act Fast Award for the fastest physician stroke-treatment times (2019–2022) and as the most efficient, highest-rated physician in the HCA LewisGale Alleghany emergency department (2018). Licensed in Virginia and West Virginia — your care is never handed off.

How is a canker sore different from a cold sore?

Canker sores appear INSIDE the mouth (cheeks, lips, tongue, floor of the mouth) and are not contagious. Cold sores are caused by the herpes virus, usually appear on or around the outer lip, and are contagious — that's a different lane on this site.

Why does a sore lasting more than 2 weeks matter so much?

Most canker sores heal within 1 to 2 weeks with treatment. A single mouth sore that persists beyond 2 weeks needs an in-person exam, because a small number of persistent mouth sores turn out to be something more serious that needs a biopsy.

What if I have a white patch instead of an open sore?

A white or creamy patch that wipes off, revealing a red area underneath, often points to oral thrush (a yeast infection), which is treated differently. A white patch that does NOT wipe off needs an in-person evaluation.