We have all burnt our tongues at one time or another. You’ve either tried drinking a coffee too quickly after pouring it or maybe biting into slice of pizza straight out of the box when the mozzarella is like molten lava on your tongue. It’s a pain we can all relate to. So, what happens when you burn your tongue? Are there effective home remedies to help heal your tongue following a burn? In this article, we will take a closer look at burnt tongue, including what to do when you burn your tongue and how to heal a burnt tongue. This article can serve as your guide to burnt tongue relief.
What Happens When You Burn Your Tongue?
You’ve somehow burned your tongue. What can you expect next? Well, a few things can happen when you burn your tongue, as the damage can extend to various parts of the organ. It can burn the skin on and around your tongue, and if the burn is deep enough, it can even take off a layer or two of taste receptors. There is often some collateral damage, because whatever burns your tongue will more than likely burn neighboring areas of your mouth as well. Depending on how bad the burn is, it can range from annoying to needing medical attention. Luckily, if the burn isn’t too severe, there are a number of ways that you can treat a burnt tongue.
How to Heal and Soothe a Burnt Tongue: Home Remedies for Burnt Tongue
If you’ve burnt your tongue in any way, the first two questions that you may Google are: “How to heal a burnt tongue fast?” and “How to soothe a burnt tongue?” The good news is that, if you have burnt your tongue mildly, you’re going to be okay. The inside of your mouth and your tongue heal twice as fast as the rest of your body, so all you may need to do is allow your mouth to heal. But, if it’s a little worse than mild, there are a few home remedies that may allow you to heal your burnt tongue a little more quickly.
1. Cool Your Tongue
This can be done in a few different ways, such as with a cool cloth or even placing ice cubes directly on the tongue to help soothe the pain. If your tongue isn’t bothering you, you’re less likely to fidget with it, which will allow your tongue time to heal.
2. Sugar
Believe it or not, sugar could also help you out with a burnt tongue. The glucose found in table sugar may help soothe a burnt tongue and allow it to heal.
3. Salt Water Rinse
For anything mouth injury-related, you will usually see salt water rinse as a recommendation, and a burnt tongue is no exception. Salt has a number of antibacterial properties, which could help prevent infections. The best way to do this is to add one teaspoon of salt to a cup of water (warm or cold). Take a decent-sized gulp of the mixture and swish it around your mouth and tongue for a minute or two.
4. Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is often used for many types of burns, and may also help you soothe and heal a burnt tongue. It can be used in a couple of different ways. You can take a fresh aloe vera leaf and place it in your fridge. After it has cooled for a few hours, take it out and snip off the end with a knife or pair of scissors. Squeeze the gel-like insides of the leaf onto your tongue. If you want quick relief, just take a fresh leaf of aloe vera, cut it, and squeeze the juice on your tongue.
5. Honey
Honey has a number of antibacterial and healing properties that might make it a very effective tool for helping to heal a burnt tongue. Just take a spoon full of honey and apply it to the wound. Allow it to stay there for a few minutes before swallowing. If you can find it, apparently Manuka honey works best for healing burns.
These remedies can help soothe and heal your burnt tongue, but there are also a few foods that you should consider avoiding in order to expedite the process.
Foods to Avoid When You Have a Burnt Tongue
There are a number of irritating foods and food products that you may want to steer clear of while suffering from a burnt tongue. Those foods include:
1. Spicy Foods
Spicy foods can agitate even a perfectly healthy tongue, so spicy food should definitely be avoided when the tongue is burnt. Hot peppers, spicy curry, and other foods of that nature qualify.
2. High-Acid Foods
Foods that are high in acid can aggravate a burnt tongue, so it may be best to avoid things like citrus fruit, citrus juices, vinegar, tomatoes, and tomato juice.
3. Hot Foods
During the healing period, your tongue will be rather sensitive to extreme temperatures. Ditch the hot foods for lukewarm to cold foods instead.
4. Sharp and Crunchy Foods
It may not be your first thought, but due to the tongue’s damage and weakened state, you may want to avoid any sharp or crunchy foods. For example, you know when you bite a potato chip and occasionally a sharp little piece stabs into your tongue? Now, imagine that happening while the tongue is burnt.
5. Help Your Burnt Tongue Out
Having a burnt tongue can be annoying on one end of the scale and truly painful at the other end. But between our home remedy suggestions and our list of foods that you should avoid with your burnt tongue, hopefully you will have figured out how to cure a burnt tongue successfully. And the next time that burning piece of pepperoni or mozzarella strikes, you will be more than prepared for dealing with the consequences.
Also Read:
Pimple on Your Tongue: Treating Your Lie Bumps
Cracked Tongue and Tongue Fissures: Causes and Treatments
Sources:
Hills, J., “How to Heal a Burnt Tongue Quickly: The Best Natural Remedies,” Healthy and Natural World; http://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/burnt-tongue/, last accessed May 15, 2017.
Marshall, S., “How to Soothe a Burnt Tongue – Use This 12 Home Remedies to Heal a Burnt Tongue Fast,” Beauty Health Plus; http://www.beautyhealthplus.org/2016/06/how-to-soothe-burnt-tongue-home-remedies-heal-burn-tongue.html, last accessed May 15, 2017.
Giorgi, A., Higuera, V., “Tongue Burn,” Healthline October 23, 2015; http://www.healthline.com/health/tongue-burn#overview1, last accessed May 15, 2017.
Levan, J., “What To Do When You Burn Your Tongue,” Food Republic, January 20, 2012; http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/01/20/what-to-do-when-you-burn-your-tongue/, last accessed, May 15, 2017.
“How to Cure Your Burnt Tongue in 6 Natural Ways,” Enki Very Well; https://www.enkiverywell.com/how-to-cure-your-burnt-tongue-in-6-natural-ways.html, last accessed May 15, 2017.