What to do for Cuts or Soft Tissue Injuries in the Mouth

The soft tissues in the mouth are sensitive and delicate, and when injured, they can be very painful. The soft tissues in the mouth include the tongue, cheeks, gums and lips. The soft tissues in the mouth are delicate and sensitive, and when they are injured, the pain can be unbearable.

Soft tissues, which include the cheeks, gums, tongue, and lips can injure if you by accident bite down on them, fall, if you are in an accident, or if you put food in your mouth that a little too hot. In addition, chewing on hard objects also can damage soft tissues.

Mouth wound symptoms include:

• bleeding
• lacerations
• tissue flaps,
• puncture wounds
• cuts on the lips’ vermilion edge

Soft tissue injuries especially bite injuries, rarely bleed a lot. However, when they bleed, the injury usually seems worse than it really is. In most cases, the bleeding stops within the first few minutes. However, when blood from the wound mixes with saliva, it looks like there is a lot of bleeding. Due to the rich vascularity of the soft tissues of the mouth, impact injuries may often lead to intense hemorrhages that send patients to the emergency department with relatively trivial lacerations. However, many soft tissue wounds rarely require any medical attention. Some may need a tetanus shot and stitches.

“Whether it be from a soft tissue injury or a recent tooth extraction, it has been my experience that patients frequently panic when there is blood inside their mouth. Panicking never helps. Remaining calm is key. It is important to sit down, stop talking, take a deep breath, locate the source of the bleeding, and apply hard pressure to the source of bleeding for at least 15 minutes using rolled-up gauze, a moistened teabag, or a damp washcloth. In most cases, the bleeding will stop with adequate pressure.”

Dr. David Hudnall DMD

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• The first thing you do should be to rinse your mouth thoroughly with a mild saltwater solution or antiseptic mouthwash.
• If the bleeding persists, press a moist piece of gauze up against the injured area for a short while, preferably 10 to 15 minutes.
• Hold ice to the injured area for about five or 10 minutes to relieve pain, slow the bleeding, and reduce swelling.
• In cases where the bleeding doesn’t stop within a few minutes, this might be a serious injury. It is advisable to see a doctor, if possible an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, right away.
• Maintain pressure on the injured area until you can be treated.

Treatment usually ranges from conservative care (that is wound cleaning and bandaging), to stitching, antibiotics, and conscious sedation.

When you pay a visit to a doctor, he/ she wash the area carefully and determine whether the teeth are loose or damaged. Where the teeth are not damaged, the injury is usually limited to the gum or other soft tissues. In such a case, the doctor administers stitches to close the wound and control the bleeding. However, in most cases, stitches are not essentially necessary. All the doctor needs to do is wash the area thoroughly to remove any dirt or debris.