Mouth Injury in Children: Care Instructions

Overview

Mouth injuries are common in children. They may involve the teeth, lips, tongue, inner cheeks, gums, tonsils, or the roof of the mouth. A mouth injury can also affect the jaw or neck.

Your child's teeth may be injured during a fall. An injury can crack, chip, or break a tooth or make a tooth change color. A tooth also may be knocked out, loosened, moved, or jammed into the gum or lip and cause an injury.

An injury to the roof of your child's mouth, the inner cheeks, the back of your child's throat, or a tonsil can injure deeper tissues in your child's head or neck. These injuries can happen when a child falls with a pointed object, such as a pencil, in their mouth. Make sure that your child doesn't walk or run with objects in their mouth. This will help keep your child safe.

Your child also may bite their lip or tongue while chewing, during play or sports, in a fall, or in a bike or car crash. A cut or tear to the tongue can bleed a lot.

Small mouth injuries may often heal on their own. If the injury is long or deep or won't stop bleeding, it may need stitches or other treatment.

Follow-up care is a key part of your child's treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and contact your doctor if your child is having problems. It's also a good idea to know your child's test results and keep a list of the medicines your child takes.

How can you care for your child at home?

• Try having your child suck on a piece of ice or a flavored ice pop to cool the inside of the mouth.
• Rinse your child's mouth with warm salt water right after meals. Saltwater rinses may relieve some pain. To make a saltwater solution for rinsing the mouth, mix 1/2 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm water.
• Have your child eat soft foods that are easy to chew.
• Avoid giving your child foods that might sting. These include salty or spicy foods, citrus fruits or juices, and tomatoes.
• Do not let your child use a straw until the lip is healed.
• 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.
• If your doctor told you how to care for your child's wound, follow your doctor's instructions. If you did not get instructions, follow this general advice:
  • Wash the area with clean water 2 times a day. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol. They can slow healing.
• If a jagged tooth or orthodontic wire or bracket is poking the inside of your child's mouth, 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.
• 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.
• Be safe with medicines. Give pain medicines exactly as directed.
  • If your child is not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if your child can take an over-the-counter medicine.
  • If the doctor gave your child a prescription medicine for pain, give it as prescribed.
  • Store your child’s prescription pain medicines where no one else can get to them. When you are done using them, dispose of them quickly and safely. Your local pharmacy or hospital may have a drop-off site.
• Help your child avoid any activity that could cause the wound to reopen.
• Follow the doctor's instructions about when to come back to have the stitches removed.

When should you call for help?

Call 911 anytime you think your child may need emergency care. For example, call if:

• Your child has trouble breathing.

Contact your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if:

• Your child has new or worse bleeding.
• Your child has symptoms of infection, such as:
  • Increased pain, swelling, warmth, or redness.
  • Red streaks leading from the area.
  • Pus draining from the area.
  • A fever.

Watch closely for changes in your child's health, and be sure to contact your doctor if:

• Your child does not get better as expected.