CHOMP CHOMP.... OUCH!! (Bonjela)

Member Name: claireislafrazer

Product:	Bonjela
Date:	27/10/08 (101 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Helps with the pain and inflammation of ulcers

Disadvantages: A bit difficult to apply depending where the ulcer is

When I was younger I used to occasionally have a small mouth ulcer caused by biting the inside of my mouth or from eating crisps that tore some skin inside. They were just a small red raised bump, not too painful and used to go in a day or two. When I told my mother I had one shed always give me some bonjela to put on it, it would not sting and would heal pretty quickly.

That was the limit of my experience of them until a few years ago when I had a much worse time of them. I remember feeling pain in my upper gums and being able to feel two large bumps with my tongue. It hurt to even do that. It was very difficult to see them and they were quite far back in my mouth and you needed bright sunlight to find where they were. When I did see them they looked big and white and I wondered what I had done to have them there.

It was very painful for a while to eat or even move my mouth over them. I quickly got myself a tube of bonjela to try and heal them. As they were more severe it took about a week for them to die down. I remember the bonjela stung very much but did provide a relief from the pain for a few hours at a time. It really is a very helpful product.

Bonjela comes in a long, thin blue carboard box which says bonjela in white on the front. Also in white on the front and it says it can be used for infants teething and to relieve the pain of cold sores and dental sores. Inside the box is a blue metal tube 9cm long and 15ml. The cap itsself is white and you simply twist it to open. You then need to break a little metal seal of the entrance to the tube. You need to remove a plastic ring under the cap and then put the cap back on and it will break the seal. If you squeeze the tube carefully the clear gel will appear, it smells and of aniseed not my favorite of things but I bear with it.

You are advised on the tube to use half an inch of the gel on your little finger to the area not more than every 3 hours. Children are adviced to use half the amount of gel.

The active ingredients are choline salicylate (which is similar to asprin and reduces the inflammation and pain) and cetalkonium chloride which is an antiseptic to stop bacteria from infecting the ulcer.

Getting it on the ulcer is the main difficulty especially when its in an awkward place in your mouth that you cannot see. If you accidently touch another part of your mouth the gel warms up and slips off your finger. I just spit it out and try again with another amount on my finger until I get the right place. It will sting when you get to the right area so at least u know when it is on there!

The time it takes to heal as I said above depends how bad it is. My nasty one took a week but using the bonjela really helped with the pain and tenderness and therefore is an essential gel for these oral irritations!

The tube costs 2.48 in Tesco and Sainsburys at the moment but it should be availible in all chemists too.

Summary: Great for ulcers