Soothe a Burnt Tongue

Ouch! A burn on the tongue can be very painful. Here are some tips to ease the pain. This article assumes the burn is caused by high temperatures, not the "heat" created by capsaicin. For that, see How to Cool Burns from Chili Peppers

Steps

 * 1) [[Image:260833586_c4cfbd8ece.jpg|thumb|Much better now, Mom]]Apply something cool immediately. Make sure that contact with the cool item is maintained for at least a full minute. This will help the heat dissipate more quickly so it doesn't do as much damage on your tongue cells. Here are some ideas: ice cubes or crushed ice, a popsicle, frozen fruit, ice cream. Yogurt is considered medically to be the best thing for a burnt tongue, so use that too!
 * 2) Numb the pain. A burnt tongue can be quite uncomfortable. If you have any anesthetic ointment, rub it on the surface of your tongue. Look for products containing benzocaine, which is a topical anesthetic, and are often sold to treat mouth ulcers: Anbesol, Kank+a, Orabase B, Orajel. Anesthetic mouthwash may help as well.
 * 3) Suck on cough drops. Look for cough drops that contain benzocaine and/or menthol. Menthol, like benzocaine, acts as a local anesthetic.
 * 4) Until healing occurs, stay away from acidic foods like tomatoes, citrus fruits and juices, items with vinegar, etc., as well as salty items like potato chips, since these items will irritate the area.

Tips

 * Don't numb your tongue right before eating, as that might lead to you accidentally biting it, which will irritate your burnt tongue even further.
 * If you can't link the burning sensation to something you ate or drank, you might have something called burning mouth syndrome, which has a variety of causes.

Warnings

 * Don't try to deal with any serious injury on your own. When in doubt, seek medical attention.
 * Don't go overboard with the ointment. It can actually numb your throat enough that you can inhale regurgitated stomach contents or oral secretions.
 * A common home remedy is honey. However, never use honey for a burnt tongue of a child 12 months old or younger. Children of this age should never ingest honey because it can harbor toxic spores causing infant botulism, which can cause death.
 * Don't apply burn creams to oral burns. Most creams are meant for use on skin and not the mouth. It could make you sick.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Cool Burns from Chili Peppers
 * How to Get Rid of White Tongue
 * How to Remove a Stuck Tongue from a Frozen Surface
 * How to Ease a Toothache
 * How to Eat Pizza Without Burning Your Mouth