Your tongue is in a vulnerable position in your mouth. It’s right next to your teeth, which means there is a high chance the teeth can bite and injure the tongue. In fact, tongue injuries are quite common, especially when it comes to eating, playing high-contact sports without a mouthguard, and even talking. However, this doesn’t make them any less inconvenient. So, to help you deal with your injured tongue in Baxter, Minnesota, our dentist, Dr. Scott Timmons & Justin Gangestad, would be happy to give you some tips.
First, rinse your mouth. This will help you clean the wound, reduce the risk of infection, clean the mouth, and wash away blood and debris. So, rinse with warm water for 30 seconds or so. Don’t rinse with mouthwash. This will make the injury sting. If the rinsing hurts the wound, don’t worry about this step.
Second, try to stop the bleeding. This might be a little tricky because the tongue can be slippery. All you need to do is wrap the tongue in a cloth of some kind and apply pressure. Sometimes it’s tough to apply pressure with the fingers. If this proves to be the case for you, just the push the tongue into the roof of the mouth.
Third, reduce the swelling as much as possible. This is a simple task that involves wrapping an ice cube in a thin cloth and putting it on the injury. You should never put the ice directly on the tongue without a cover up. Make sure to ice the area for 15 minutes at a time. This can lessen the swelling and help with the discomfort.
If you have bitten a piece of your tongue off or if the bleeding won’t subside after 30 minutes, it’s important to visit your physician or an Urgent Care facility.
For more information and details about how to deal with an injured tongue, please remember that our dental team at Baxter Dental is more than happy to help you, so call 218-829-4207 now. We look forward to hearing from you and assisting you through this injury!