A burn injury to the mouth is a relatively common oral injury because it can happen from everyday food and beverages. For example, a lot of takeout coffee is sold scolding hot and there are times that you might get more of it in your mouth than you intended, resulting in a burn. Oftentimes, this type of burn injury hits the tongue and causes swelling, and the user not to be able to taste food properly for hours. Wherever the burn has occurred in your mouth, we have general tips to share about how to manage it.
Immediate Remedies
Once you have suffered a painful burn, grab something cold to have in your mouth. This can include milk, water, yogurt, or leaving ice in your mouth. This can relieve much of the pain and prevent further damages to tissue. Another useful food item is honey, which coats the burn area like a natural bandage. Honey is also known to kill bacteria due to its low pH level, which important for preventing infection in the burned area.
Keeping the Burned Area Clean
Speaking of infection, it is important to keep the impacted area clean to prevent this from occurring. Swishing around warm salt water three times a day is an effective way to get rid of bacteria. Avoid using mouthwash for this purpose as the alcohol in bacteria-killing mouthwash can make the pain in the wounded area excruciating.
When to Contact Us
We have been talking about first degree burns thus far, which are burn injuries that can be healed on their own with the above techniques. But if you have second or third-degree burns, then you should call us. If you show signs of blistering skin in your mouth or an area of your mouth feels numb, this is something to get looked at professionally as these can take a long time to heal on their own which further risks the area of infection.
In addition to this, the pain can last for weeks at a time with a severe burn, which is of course, far from comfortable. If you are wanting to get a burned mouth looked at, or simply have questions, you can call our office at 479.646.0706. If you are unsure about your injury, you can describe your symptoms over the phone for us to determine if you should come in for an appointment. Stay safe when handling hot food and beverages, waiting at least 5-10 minutes before consuming single-serve items can prevent potential burns when dealing with scolding meals and drinks.
