What is mouth injury?

Mouth injuries are common, especially in children. They can involve the teeth, jaw, lips, tongue, inner cheeks, gums, roof of the mouth (hard or soft palates), neck, or tonsils. Sometimes mouth injuries look worse than they are. Even a small cut or puncture inside the mouth may bleed a lot. That's because there are many blood vessels in the head and neck area. Home treatment of minor mouth injuries can help stop bleeding, reduce pain, help healing, and prevent infection.

Teeth may be injured during a fall or a sport activity. A tooth may be knocked out (avulsed). You may be able to replace a permanent tooth in its socket (reimplant) if it has been knocked out or torn away from the socket. and dental care are needed right away when a permanent tooth has been knocked out.

An injury could crack, chip, or break a tooth. Or it could make a tooth change color. A tooth also may be loose or moved in position (dental luxation) or jammed into the gum (intruded).

Other dental injuries may be caused by grinding your teeth, especially at night. Your teeth may hurt, chip, or become loose. Biting surfaces may become flat and worn down. A broken or loose dental appliance or an orthodontic wire or bracket may poke or rub the inside of your mouth and make your mouth sore.

An injury to your mouth or lips may cause a large, loose flap of tissue or a gaping wound that may need stitches. A smaller wound on the lip may be stitched for cosmetic reasons. If an object, such as a piece of broken tooth or an orthodontic wire, gets stuck in a wound, you may need to have it removed by a doctor. You can also have problems from a piercing in the mouth.

The piece of skin between your lips and gums or under your tongue (frenulum) may tear or rip. Usually this type of injury will heal without stitches. It's generally not a concern unless the tear was caused by physical or sexual abuse.

An injury to the roof of your mouth, the back of your throat, or a tonsil can injure deeper tissues in your head or neck. These injuries can happen when a child falls with a pointed object, such as a pencil or the stick from a frozen treat, in his or her mouth.

• Apply a cold compress to the injured area. Or have your child suck on a piece of ice or a flavored ice pop.
• Rinse your child's wound with warm salt water right after meals. Saltwater rinses may relieve some pain. To make a saltwater solution for rinsing the mouth, mix 1 tsp of salt in 1 cup of warm water.
• Have your child eat soft foods that are easy to swallow.
• Avoid giving your child foods that might sting. These include salty or spicy foods, citrus fruits or juices, and tomatoes.
• If a jagged tooth or orthodontic wire or bracket is poking your child, roll a piece of melted candle wax or orthodontic wax and press it onto the part that is poking. Use a pencil eraser to press a broken wire toward the teeth. These are only short-term measures to use until you can see your child's dentist or orthodontist to fix the problem.
• Be safe with medicines. Give pain medicines exactly as directed.
  • If the doctor gave your child a prescription medicine for pain, give it as prescribed.
  • If your child is not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask the doctor if your child can take an over-the-counter medicine.
• If the doctor prescribed antibiotics for your child, give them as directed. Do not stop using them just because your child feels better. Your child needs to take the full course of antibiotics.
• Try using a topical medicine, such as Orabase, to reduce mouth pain. If your child is under 2 years of age, ask your doctor if your child can use this medicine.