Mouth burns are a common occurrence that almost everyone has experienced at one time or the other. There are times when you sit down to a meal and are too hungry to consider the temperature of the food on your plate. The next thing you know you are getting the food out of your mouth as fast as possible and end up with a burnt mouth. Although the consequences are not devastating and permanent, it can be a source of discomfort for a few days.
Misjudging how hot a bowl of soup or a cup of coffee is may give you painful results for days or weeks. If the mouth burn is mild, then you just need to soothe the discomfort till the sensitive tissue gets healed by itself. However, an internal mouth burn that is more severe may need immediate medical attention. Some of the signs of a first degree burn, which is the mildest kind of burn, are minor swelling, dryness, redness and pain. If you get a first degree burn, the topmost layer of the tissue that is affected in the mouth may peel off in a day or two. Your mouth should then heal by itself in 3 to 6 days.
A burn on the roof of the mouth is often experienced when one eats hot food too fast. Although it is not really a serious condition, it can be quite an irritating thing to suffer from. Saliva, which is an effective antiseptic, is helpful in dealing with mouth burns. A burn in the mouth is said to heal 10 times faster as compared to other burns. However, if there is blister because of the burn, you could use some simple remedies to treat it. The first thing you need do to bring about mouth burn relief is to reduce the temperature of the affected area. To achieve this you could suck on some ice cubes and direct them to the roof of your mouth. You could also drink more cold water till the pain is alleviated. After gargling with water for five minutes, you should gargle with some lukewarm water with salt. You may experience some stinging, but it will give relief from the burning sensation. The answer to the question, if you burned the roof of your mouth how long it will take to heal will depend on the severity of the burn. On an average healing should take place in a matter of 7 days.
Oral burns can also occur in children between 3 to 6 months due to electrical trauma. This happens when the child chews or sucks improperly insulated live wires or puts a live extension cord in the mouth. Most of the burns are cause by an extension cord with a multiple-outlet. The child sucks or chews on an outlet that is open thereby completing the circuit. This could be very dangerous and should be avoided.
Mouth burn causes mainly involve eating foods that are too hot. One way in which the tongue or mouth gets burnt is by drinking coffee from a cup that is insulated. There are some coffee mugs that do not allow the heat to transfer to the outer part of the cup. This makes it difficult to judge the temperature of the coffee. People also end up with burnt mouths when eating pizza. The cheese on top of the pizza is very hot, and if eaten without considering the temperature, it can cause a bad burn. What makes it worse is that it will stick to the roof of your mouth and have a longer contact with the roof of the mouth.
Water is considered to be the best remedy for a burned mouth. However, there may be times when water is not immediately accessible. In this case you could try the following:
There are certain things you need to remember to ensure that the affected area does not get worse. Till your burn gets healed, make sure to eat food only when it has been cooled. Refrain from eating foods with edges that are sharp like chips and toast. These foods may hurt the burnt and tender part. Also avoid food that is spicy as much as you can, as it will bring about an irritation to the lesion. Have cold milk or soy milk instead of hot beverages like hot chocolate, coffee or tea. Till your burns heal, avoid using oral hygiene products like mouthwash, as they contain chemicals that may worsen the condition of your burns. Including Vitamin B in your daily diet would also help a lot.