Managing burnt tongue using home remedies

In my previous episodes on burns and scalds we did read about what burns is, and what to look out for, what not to do when burns or scalds occur and what to avoid to ensure such incidence does not occur especially in homes with little kids see post here. Subsequently, We did read about home remedies to effectively treat minor cases of burns and scalds like honey, baking soda, milk, using cotton with sweet oil or castor oil, vanilla, mint toothpaste, and tea bag concisely explaining method of application for each of the above listed remedies click here to read

Going forward, in Episode 3, we read about more home remedies to tackle scalds and burns like Aloe Vera, Coconut Oil, Vinegar, Wheat Flour, Oats, Lavender Oil, Egg White, Vitamin C and E, Lime with Sweet Oil and scraped potatoes plus their method of application, read up here….      

In this Episode, we are going to treat issues related to burns especially scalds in our Tongue and how effectively to treat such cases using home remedies.

Firstly, we need to understand what really occurs when we burn our tongues.

The tongue surface contains 4 types of tiny bumps in their thousands called lingual papillae, some of them with taste buds and some without. With their mushroom like shape, each of the fungi form papillae contains six taste receptors and the cells in the taste receptors are steadily maturing, shed off and replaced with newly regenerated basal cells from the tongues lower section. 

When there is incidence of burns on the tongue due to excessive hot foods or any other hot liquid you drink, the top layer of the tongue die. The seriousness of burn usually differs as in most cases that involve issues related to first degree burns.  

However, one may even get more serious burns which comes with blisters on the surface area of the tongue (which is usually when there is incidence of hot liquid) as such, due to the severity of the burns, there may be damage to the taste buds leading to temporary loss of sense of taste. The good news however is that because of the fast cell turnover and rich blood supply in the tongue, when tongue burns occur, it heals very fast, also no matter how many times you burn your tongue, and it will not lose its ability to taste. If you want to ease the pain immediately, then an oral burn requires immediate response as such we need to know which home remedy we can immediately apply on the affected area. 

Home remedies for burn on tongue

 Ice cubes or cold water

To sooth a burnt tongue, the best obvious way is to counteract the heat with something cold. Cooling helps in soothing the pain due to tongue burns as well as promoting healing of the damaged cells. 

Method of application

Once there is incidence of oral burns, suck an ice cube or sip a glass of cold water if there is no ice cube. Ensure you allow the water to linger for some seconds in the mouth before you swallow. Ice cream also helps.

Also like the method used in burns on skin, place your tongue under running water from tap can also help soothe the burnt tongue. 

 Honey

Honey is a powerful natural sedative and a great way to get rid of burnt tongue naturally. As well as soothing the burnt area of the tongue, honey also reduce swelling and ease pain. However it is not for everybody especially those allergic to honey should not use it for issues related to burnt tongue.

It is very important to note this. Never give honey to children under 12 months of age as honey can harbor toxic spores which can cause infant botulism and may lead to death. To buttress this further, according to Mayo Clinic,

do not give children below 1 year honey because wild honey may contain C. botulinum spores which can lead to infant botulism which is a gastrointestinal condition

Method of application

Take a spoonful of honey in your mouth and leave it there to sit for some few seconds to take effect after which you swallow it.

 Sugar

Sugar is another home remedy that is very effective when you want to relief a burnt tongue caused by hot food or liquid.

Method of application

Head for the sugar jar and Scoop a teaspoon and apply on the affected area while pressing them with your tongue or hold the tongue which contains the sugar against the roof of your mouth and wait for the sugar to dissolve. As it dissolves, you notice an instant relief of the pain.

 Salt water

For issues of burnt tongue, prepare a salt water rinse as salt water effectively can relief burns as well as prevent an infection.

Method of application

For cases of burnt tongue, mix a teaspoon of salt with in a glass of water and take a big sip, swish it around in your mouth holding it in your mouth for like 1 to 2 minutes before spitting it out.

 Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a widely used natural remedy as the healing benefits of Aloe Vera to burns has been widely documented. Aloe Vera soothes and also aids in healing the damaged cells in the tongue. The only problem of using Aloe Vera to sooth tongue burns is that unlike many other home remedies like sugar, honey, ice cream, yogurt etc, its taste is very bitter. However, ensure you only use natural fresh Aloe Vera and not commercial ones from stores.

Method of application.

Snip a leaf from an Aloe Vera plant and wash the leaf, cut a side and squeeze to extract the juice

Apply the juice on the burnt area of the tongue to sooth the burns. You can repeat same several times in a day until the burning sensation plus other symptoms fades. Alternatively, you can freeze the gel from the aloe plant into ice cubes and suck them regularly so as to relief pain associated with tongue burns

 Yogurt

Apart from being a healthy food, Yogurt contains cooling and burn soothing properties making it one of the most effective home remedy for issues related to burn tongue. The best yogurt to use is Greek yogurt but if you can’t find one, any other yogurt is also ok.

Method of application

Take a spoonful of yogurt and allow it to sit on your tongue for a short time then you can swallow it...

 Vitamin E

Using Vitamin E can help soothe a burnt tongue as well as speed up the healing process as it can assist to regenerate the tissue of the tongue.

Method Of application

Get a capsule of Vitamin E (1,000 IU) and spread the oil on the burnt surface area of your tongue.

Furthermore, we can bring succor to burnt tongue by

 Breathing through the mouth.

This may sound very basic, and arguably the easiest way to soothe and cure a burnt tongue. However, the simple process of breathing through your mouth (not your nose this time) may help to soothe a burnt tongue because as you inhale, cold air rushes over the surface of your tongue giving instant relief from the burning sensation.

 Chewing a gum

When you chew a gum, it increases the flow of saliva in the mouth which helps to keep the tongue as well as the mouth damp. More so, Gums with menthol flavor and derivatives such as varieties with spearmint and peppermint flavored do impart a cooling effect on your tongue by activating the cold receptor cells located on your tongue which as the tongue heals, helps in pain relief.

Other things to consider to avoid escalating issues related to burnt tongue are

 Do not pop the blisters on the tongue.

 Stay away from Acidic foods like citrus fruits, vinegar and tomatoes etc and also salty food or spicy food so as not to irritate the area.

 Do not use burn creams or ointments designed for topical use only on the tongue.

The above mentioned home remedies can help sooth burnt tongue however, if you find the pain too unbearable even after using the home remedies, you may consider some over the counter pain relief medications like Ibuprofen, paracetamol, panadol etc, so as to help relief the swelling and pain. For children aged below 16, do not use aspirin to soothe a burnt tongue or any other purpose.

It is recommended that you see a doctor if after 7 days, your burnt tongue remains swollen and painful as the doctor may prescribe stronger form of medication to speed up recovery. You may have a condition called burnt tongue syndrome should burning sensation in your tongue arise on its own without physically burning it on hot drinks and or food. This situation may affect other areas of the mouth and can be very painful. Consider going to your doctor immediately if you suspect such as this may be a sign of a more serious underlying problem like hyperthyroidism, depression, food allergy or diabetes.

Conclusion: in this episode I centered on burn related issues on the tongue which is quite common and very painful and how we can use some home remedies to take care of it. More so, I stressed on not using honey if you know you are allergic to it and please do not use honey on children under 1 year. More so, ensure children below 16 yrs do not use aspirin. Furthermore, If the burnt area remains painful and swollen after 7 days go see a doctor and should burning sensation in your tongue arise on its own without physically burning it on hot drinks and or food  go see a doctor as you may have burnt tongue syndrome. Remember that your health is your wealth as such, keep off from things that will cause you health problems. Note that this article is merely for information purposes as @kenhudoy does not have any authority to prescribe any medical treatment as such, see your doctor if you have any health condition or pain for proper care.

Do send in your comment with your own experiences and or share any other tips which works for issues related to burns and scalds of both the skin and tongue…

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Do also check my previous related posts on..

Managing & Avoiding Burns and Scalds at home (Episode 1) click here 

Managing burns and scalds using home remedies (Episode 2) click here

Managing burns and scalds using home remedies (Episode 3) click here

Sources links:

http://www.wikihow.com/Soothe-a-Burnt-Tongue

http://www.beautyhealthplus.org/2016/06/how-to-soothe-burnt-tongue-home-remedies-heal-burn-tongue.html

https://health.onehowto.com/article/the-most-effective-home-remedies-for-a-burnt-tongue-6160.html

Image Sources: Google & WikiHow