Having cuts on the tongue is something very common, and although it may present with pain, it is not usually a very serious condition. Many things can cause cuts on tongue, and in most cases, the cuts tend to heal on their own. If you have a cut tongue, you do not want to aggravate the condition, stay away from stuff or foods that could worsen the cuts, for instance, spicy or hot foods. Eating cold food can help deal with the problem. While a cut on tongue can heal within a few days without needing medication or a visit to a doctor, you need to understand that before the healing you may have to deal with some stifling pain.
Causes of Cuts on Tongue
Different things can cause a cut on your tongue, so you want to know what may have caused that painful cut you are having on the tongue. The common reasons for the cuts include:
- Eating foods containing sharp points or edges, for example, chips and fish. The bones in fish may pierce the tongue causing a cut that becomes painful.
- Accidentally biting the tongue while chewing or eating. This happens time in time, and it can create a relative big cut in your tongue.
- Allergy reaction to certain foods
- Too much stress
- Tongue fissures presenting in form of deep grooves or cuts with age. Fissured tongue is a hereditary condition and it may not be harmful. Although the entire tongue has some deep cuts or grooves, they are not usually painful. Fissured tongue is common in people who are aging.
- Having ulcers in your tongue that bring about abrasions resulting in cuts. Tongue ulcers don’t usually present with signs of cuts alone, other symptoms may accompany those cuts. For example, you may have bumps accompanying the cuts, which may have a burning sensation and bleeding.
- Having an injury to your face that affects the tongue
- Deficiency in vitamin C and B
- Eating spicy and hot foods leading to blisters that later form cuts within the tongue
- Low body immune that leads to delayed healing of fissures in tongue that have been caused by conditions like eczema, allergy reactions, or asthma
- Increases in hormones among women that happen during pregnancy, menstruation, or menopause.
What Are the Symptoms of Cuts on Tongue?
A cut in your tongue may present with the following symptoms:
- Reddening of the cut area
- A burning sensation
- A visual sign of a cut, wound, or fissure within the tongue
- A bit of inflammation, but occasionally
- Moderate to severe pain or discomfort coming from the injured area
- Increased sensitivity to spicy and hot foods
How to heal cut on tongue (Home Remedies)
In case you have a cut on your tongue that lasts for a week or so, you may not need to worry about it. It will eventually heal and the pain will go away. That said, you want to make sure that you help the body’s self healing process with home remedies so that the wound won’t take too long to heal. With adequate care, it will ensure that the cut tongue heals pretty quickly and it doesn’t worsen.
The only time you may need medical attention is when the cut worsens and is infected or producing some discharge. Also, if the cut has taken too long to heal, you may want to see a doctor. If the cuts on your tongue are deeper forcing you to keep the mouth open, then you may need to have them stitched so that they close and the healing process starts. A cosmetic surgery and rehabilitation may be required.
These home remedies can help with cuts on tongue:
Ice cubes: The first thing a person will think about when they have had a cut on their tongue is ice cubes. The ice helps to numb the tongue meaning that an individual will experience lesser pain while also preventing bleeding. Just position some ice cubes over the area of cut in your tongue and let them remain there for sometime before you spit them. Remember that extreme cold can bring about tooth sensitivity, so be careful when you are sucking on those ice cubes.
Salt: Gargling your mouth with salt water help reduce inflammation and pain caused by tongue cuts. The solution also helps prevent infection from attacking the area of wound. You will need to mix salt with some warm water and gargle your mouth using that mixture. Do this about three times a day focusing on the area close to the wound.
Baking soda: This is a great natural remedy because it comes with very strong antibacterial properties. You can dissolve the baking soda in warm water and use it to rinse the mouth.
Turmeric and honey: A common spice in your kitchen, turmeric has antibacterial properties that help fight infections. You can use it along with honey, which also has antibacterial activity. What you need to do is mix the two and apply the paste on the affected area or the cut.
Aloe Vera: This is a powerful remedy for treating many ailments. It can help with tongue cuts because of the potent antiseptic property it has. You can mix the Aloe Vera with lemon balm and olive oil extract to make a thick gel that you apply directly on to a tongue cut allowing it to sit there for some hours.
Apple cider vinegar: This ingredient is known to cure many illnesses including a cut on tongue. You can mix the apple cider vinegar with water and then use the solution in rinsing your mouth.
Butter: This is an effective ingredient that helps treat cuts. You need to take a small piece of the butter and place or rub it on the tongue. Make sure that you do not swallow the butter, instead let it sit on the tongue where it melts.
Goldenseal root: You can get one on medical and herbal stores, so if you have one, you can soak it in water and bring to boil. Have some low-flamed to heat the soaked goldenseal root in a simmering way for some time. Strain the solution and use the concoction in rinsing the mouth. It helps treat cuts and sores of an infected tongue pretty quickly.
Other home remedies that can help treat a cut on tongue are such as:
- Neem powder
- Listerine mouthwash
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Alum powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Licorice
- Sage
How to Care for a Tongue Cut
There are some things you can do to help you deal with a cut, sore, or fissure on your tongue. You can apply pressure on the cut to reduce bleeding. You can do this by pressing your tongue against the mouth’s roof or the cheek. It will help control the bleeding. Until the tongue heals, you may want to avoid taking sharp edged foods, spicy foods, or hot fluids and foods. These can increase pain and inflammation thus worsening the cut.
You may want to consider eating cold, frozen foods and drinking chilled beverages because they help to bring down pain and inflammation you may be experiencing because of the cut. If you are allergic to certain foods, you may want to stay away from them, no matter how enticing they are to you. It could be that favorite chocolate or the daily cup of coffee.
A tongue cut that occurs due to deficiency in vitamins would require you to stock up foods that are a source of vitamins C and B. During the time the tongue cuts are healing and even after that, you will need to ensure you have proper oral hygiene. Besides brushing the teeth, you need to do it regularly to prevent food and debris from accumulating in the tongue because it can result in sores and cuts. Make sure you rinse the mouth with a quality mouthwash to minimize infections.
Do not smoke cigarettes or take alcohol until you get the cuts heal properly. Alcohol and cigarette smoke can aggravate wounds and cause infections. They also slow down the body’s natural healing process and lower the immune system meaning the cuts could be susceptible to infections. Avoid consuming foods that are sour or too acidic because it can create sensitivity in the tongue cuts or the inner cheeks.
Water is a natural medicine that does wonders in the body than people can imagine. Drinking more water when you have cuts on tongue helps to keep the mouth moisturized and prevent drying up of the tongue. If the tongue dries up, it can become sore, thereby worsening the cuts.
