Ouch! You bit your tongue, and now it’s bleeding. How do you stop tongue bleeding? Is the bleeding serious? Will a tongue injury require a trip to the dentist or emergency room? Tongue injuries can be mild, or they can be very serious. The key is to know how to treat an injury and when to seek professional help.
At Gairhan Dental Care, we see tongue injuries often. Some just require a bit of time to heal, while others may require stitches or treatment from doctors. The type of treatment depends on the severity of the injury. Most of the time, the injury can heal on its own. However, if you’re in the Jonesboro, AR, area, you can visit Gairhan Dental Care and we can evaluate your injury. For now, let’s take a look at some common causes of tongue injuries and how to make a tongue stop bleeding.
Bite and Injuries Resulting in a Bleeding Tongue
Tongue bites are incredibly common. How many times have you been chewing away on tortilla chips, gum, or your favorite dinner food and you accidentally chomp down on your tongue? Most of the time, it just hurts. That’s because your tongue is one of the strongest muscles in your body. Still, it’s not always a match for rapid eating and not paying attention to chewing your food properly.
Our first tip — slow down. The faster you eat, the better your chances you’re going to accidentally bite your tongue. Slow down and take your time chewing. This actually has several benefits. Aside from not biting your tongue, eating more slowly means you chew your food better. The faster you eat, the better the chances you will overeat before your brain tells you to stop.
What happens if you do bite your tongue? Check the surface in a mirror. Most of the time, the injury is minimal. There might be a bit of redness or swelling where you bit your tongue. If so, just take it easy. The bite should heal quickly, usually within a week.
In some cases, the injury to the tongue from a bite will result in bleeding. While slightly more serious, most of the time, these small cuts can be treated at home. If the injury is more serious, such as resulting from an impact injury to the face, you may need to call us or visit a doctor right away. More serious injuries may take several weeks to heal.
How to Stop Bleeding on the Tongue
What happens when a bite or injury results in a bleeding tongue? If it’s a small cut, it will likely stop on its own after a few minutes. A deeper cut with more blood will require more attention. Here are a few tips on how to make a tongue stop bleeding.
- Use a dry cloth: Take a dry cloth and apply pressure on the wound for a couple of minutes to slow or stop the bleeding. Keep pressure on the wound until the bleeding stops.
- Use an ice cube: If the bleeding doesn’t stop with just the cloth, wrap a piece of ice in the cloth and use it to apply pressure to the wound. The cold will slow or stop the bleeding.
- Rinse your mouth: You can use 1 part hydrogen peroxide and 1 part water to rinse the wound and stop the bleeding. Do not swallow the mixture. Instead, just swish it over the wound and spit it out.
If these methods don’t stop the bleeding from the tongue, contact your doctor right away. You may need to visit an emergency clinic if the bleeding does not subside. Also, if the bleeding does stop but the injury shows signs of infection after a couple of days, such as severe pain, pus, or fever, then visit your doctor right away.
What to Do With a Bleeding Tongue
If your tongue continues to bleed, the wound may be deeper than you first thought. In that case, you’ll need a doctor to take care of it right away. Because of the bacteria in your mouth and the food and drink you introduce to it, infection will be a strong possibility with a severe tongue injury.
In the case of a large injury, your doctor will want to clean the wound and likely will close the wound with stitches or sutures. Your doctor likely will prescribe a round of antibiotics to ensure the wound doesn’t become infected. The doctor may also recommend that you clean the wound by swishing it with warm saltwater. This will not only keep the wound sterile, but it will also bring some pain relief to you.
A doctor’s visit shouldn’t be necessary with a simple bite of the tongue. Most wounds are minor and will heal on their own. However, sometimes a doctor’s intervention is the best way how to stop bleeding of the tongue. If you think your tongue injury is one of those cases, don’t hesitate to see your doctor. The longer a tongue injury goes untreated, the better the chance of infection.
Getting Help With Your Tongue Injury
If you’re in the Jonesboro, AR, area, you can contact Gairhan Dental Care if you have questions about your tongue injury. We can help you decide whether a doctor visit will be necessary. You can request an appointment for an evaluation of your injury, and we can let you know if your frequent tongue biting is the result of a misaligned bite that may require treatment with braces or clear aligners to fix. Whatever the case, Gairhan Dental Care is here for you!
