Soft tissue injuries in the mouth can be quite painful but you can manage it properly with the right approach. The soft tissues of the mouth include the tongue, lips, gums and inner cheek. You can be susceptible to cuts, bruises, tears and abrasions.
If you have sustained
A soft tissue injury to the mouth, you will need to assess its severity. A minor abrasion or cut can be managed at home but you will need to go to an emergency dental clinic for more severe injuries where you have deep lacerations or significant bleeding. Once you assess the injury, you will need to clean the injured site so that infection can be prevented. Warm salt water can be used to gently rinse the mouth. You can get a cup of warm water and dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in this. Saltwater can help reduce bacteria in your mouth and it will promote healing. You should not use mouthwash as these will have alcohol which will irritate the injury further. Sometimes the injury will be bleeding and then your first step will be controlling this right away. You will need to apply gently pressure to the wound. This can be done using a clean piece of cloth or gauze. You have to maintain the pressure for about 10 minutes and check whether the bleeding subsides. If it persists, you will need to replace the gauze or cloth with a new one and start putting pressure again. Make sure to keep your head elevated so that blood flow to the area is reduced.
Swelling is quite common when you have soft tissue injuries in the mouth.
You will need to apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth near the area that is injured so that the swelling can go down. If you don’t have an ice pack, you can wrap ice in a cloth. This can be applied to the outside of your face or cheek for about 10 minutes at a time. Make sure to have breaks in between so that you don’t suffer frostbite. The cold will contract the blood vessels so that bleeding can go down. It will reduce inflammation and numb the injured area so that you can experience some relief from the swelling and pain.
Managing pain is important to facilitate healing
And you can use over-the-counter pain relievers for this. In addition to managing pain, these will reduce inflammation as well. You need to check the instructions for proper dosage on the packaging. When eating, you need to avoid hot, spicy or acidic food as it can aggravate the injury. You have to maintain proper oral hygiene so that healing can be promoted. You need to brush your teeth gently, avoiding the injured site. A soft-bristled toothbrush is needed for this. You can keep rinsing your mouth with warm salt water several times a day so that your mouth can be kept clean.
