Burned tongue

introduction

If you eat or drink something that is too hot, it can happen relatively quickly that you burn your tongue.

What to do about a burned tongue

If you have burned your tongue, the need is often great at first. However, you can easily remedy this with a few simple measures:

Clean the burned area under cold running water for a few minutes. If there is no sink nearby, water from a bottle is also suitable! On the one hand, germs are flushed out of the wound and infection is prevented. At the same time, the cool water already provides relief!

It is then advisable to suck on ice cubes. Normal ice cream or water ice may contain fruit acid or other ingredients that irritate the fresh wound and lead to further pain. However, be careful to move the ice cubes back and forth in your mouth and not leave them in the same place for too long.

Alternatively, if there are no ice cubes or running water on hand, a clean cloth soaked in cold water can be pressed onto the burned tongue.

In most cases, a burned tongue will heal easily without further action. However, some sufferers swear by various home remedies, such as honey, Camomile tea or Anointing solutions. Some of these agents have antibacterial properties and can thus accelerate healing. Also Lemon juice is supposed to work miracles, but is not recommended because of the high acid content.

Also in the pharmacy There are numerous ointments, solutions and lozenges to treat the burned tongue.

Continue to avoid hot, very salty, and spicy foods in the days after the burn, as they can further irritate the wound. In particular, eating hot soup can be very uncomfortable.

If the tongue doesn't heal, swells, becomes very red, festered, and even has a fever, you should definitely get one doctor or. dentist seek out. The inflammation can spread to the whole body (sepsis) and become life-threatening. Such cases are an absolute rarity!

Often the roof of the mouth is also involved in a burned tongue, resulting in a Swelling on the roof of the mouth can lead.

Pain

Burning the tongue can be extremely uncomfortable and painful. But why is that so? Burning the tongue damages the affected tissue. Specialized sensors (receptors) for the stimulus "pain" (nociceptors) are thus excited and, in simplified terms, guide the sensation to the central nervous system (CNS) further and thus into our consciousness.

Pain-causing substances such as Bradykinin, Prostaglandin or histamine, also increase pain perception and thus sensitize the local receptors. This ensures that injured tissue is protected from further damaging influences.

If we burn our tongues, they quickly become conductive A delta nerve fibers activated. In this way, the tongue can be withdrawn from the hot source of pain within fractions of a second. Sensing pain is therefore an important warning signal for the body!

In the area of ​​the tongue, the pain can lead to functional impairment. Sufferers have problems eating, drinking or speaking. Even brushing your teeth can be extremely uncomfortable.

In addition to the well-known home remedies, local anesthetic ointments, gels or rinses (Local anesthetics) be applied. The most common active ingredients include e.g. Lidocaine, Prilocaine or Articain. They only block a special sodium channel locally (Sodium channel blockers) and thus have an inhibiting effect on the triggering of pain.

Different preparations are available without prescription available at the pharmacy and can be applied to the affected area several times a day. Particularly in the case of infants, toddlers and the elderly, the dosage instructions should be carefully observed. Otherwise, a Overdose Pallor, drowsiness and a drop in blood pressure occur.

Table sugar for pain relief

For generations, it has been believed that ordinary table sugar can work wonders on a burnt tongue. Like countless other “household resources”, it comes from a time when people did not yet have a comprehensive understanding of health and adequate access to appropriate medication as they do today.

Basically, it is not inordinately harmful to sprinkle sugar on a small, burned area on the tongue. However, it is rather questionable whether there will be a concrete benefit in the sense of pain relief or acceleration of healing. However, this should be avoided in the case of large burns.

Appropriate antibacterial ointments, rinses, etc. are certainly more contemporary.

Vesicles

Often after burns of the tongue, small ones arise Pimples or. Vesicles at the affected area. They are the result of tissue damage and are absolutely harmless. Sometimes they can also occur after eating particularly spicy or sour foods. The oral cavity should therefore be cleaned sufficiently after meals.

Basically, pimples on the tongue should not be touched with your fingers or in any other way. Attempts to supposedly "squeeze out" the pimples are not recommended as germs can easily get in and cause inflammation.

In order to accelerate the healing of the annoying pustules, care should be taken to ensure thorough oral hygiene. Antibacterial mouthwashes or herbal solutions made from chamomile, arnica or sage are suitable for this. Ice cubes can be used for acute pain relief. In almost all cases, the pimples on the tongue go away on their own after a few days.

Duration

Generally, a burn on the tongue heals within about five days. Of course, the healing time depends on the severity of the burn, the size of the wound and individual factors.

If the burn is particularly severe and extends into deeper tissue layers, taste receptors ("Taste buds“) Be affected. Their regeneration usually takes a longer period of time. Nevertheless, taste disturbances or a furry or numb feeling on the tongue disappear within a few weeks.