Mouth Burns

Have you ever taken a bite of food or a drink of a beverage that is hotter than anticipated? If the temperature is high enough, you can burn your tongue, cheeks, or worse, the top of your mouth. What should you do if this happens? For starters, you can read this informative article with information and advice on healing mouth burns.  If you don’t have time, we’ve prepared the following summary of important takeaways from the article.

Burns on the roof of your mouth, also known as your palate, tend to heal more slowly than burns to your tongue. This is related to the fact that the tongue has the most blood supply of any organ in the body. In addition, the skin on your palate tends to be more sensitive. This, coupled with the fact that there is little fat in this area of the body, causes pain to linger longer.

The Dos And Don’ts Of Healing Mouth Burns

The article linked above includes both dos and don’ts.  The “don’t” you want to remember about mouth burns: Don’t put an ice cube in your mouth! Ice cubes can stick to a burned area and cause additional damage.

The Do’s are more extensive:

• Spit out the hot food
• Swish with cold water or milk
• If the pain is intolerable, try acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Some people find relief with numbing gels
• Stick to eating soft foods and avoid items such as nuts and chips
• Avoid foods that are too hot or too cold. Go for room temperature foods
• Avoid acidic drinks such as coffee, wine or pop for several days
• Avoid spicy foods

Follow-up

Depending on size and severity, discomfort from a mouth burn should lessen within two to three days. The wound itself should heal within a week. If you have a burned mouth that isn’t healed after a week, or if pain persists, you should consider calling a dental professional.