A minor tongue injury can sometimes be caused by accidentally biting down too hard when chewing gum or eating a meal. These instances rarely cause significant oral trauma. At most they might cause minor bleeding or cause a small area to swell.
There are other rare times when an accidental blow to the face or a hard fall can cause contact with your face or jaw causing you to bite down excessively hard on your tongue. In a situation like this, you might need to administer some basic first-aid to determine the need for a physician’s care.
The first thing to do is assess the severity of the trauma to your tongue. If you have stray debris or blood lingering in your mouth you can gently rinse it away with lukewarm saltwater. This might also help sooth other traumatized tissues in your mouth. If the bleeding persists or you’ve bitten through your tongue you will likely need to seek professional treatment at the Emergency Room. Â
To control more moderate bleeding you could want to try wrapping your tongue in a few layers of sterile gauze and applying light pressure. If you can’t easily hold the gauze with your fingertips, you might be able to press the injured part of your tongue to the roof of your mouth.Â
If the pain continues to worsen or you simply can’t get the bleeding to stop, you should go directly to the Emergency Room to seek professional treatment.
If you live in the Grants Pass, Oregon, area and you need help assessing a tongue injury you can call 541-479-5505 to speak to a staff member at Open Door Family Dentistry. We offer emergency care for our patients!