Bit Tongue: Healing Time, Treatment, And Prevention

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Medical News TodaySubscribeHealing and preventing tongue bites

Medically reviewed by Angelica Balingit, MD — Written by Danielle Dresden — Updated on August 12, 2024

Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Complications
Healing time
When to seek help
Summary

The tongue is an essential muscle for key human functions, such as breathing, eating, and speaking. Biting the tongue by accident often resolves with home treatment.

Biting the tongue may seem minor, but it can be painful and problematic, especially if it happens when chewing.

If someone bites their tongue during an accident or while playing sports, it can seem very scary, because tongues can bleed a lot.

It is a very complicated part of the human body, with at least 8,000 motor units, which help move this single muscle. This might explain why the tongue is so flexible and can hurt so much when injured.

Keep reading to find out the healing time, treatment, and prevention for a bit tongue.

Causes

a woman holding her mouth as there is pain there from a bit tongue — A person who chews unconsciously or grinds their teeth may bite their tongue accidentally.

The causes of a bit tongue may include:

falls
sports injuries
fights
seizures
car accidents
body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) patterns, such as nail-biting
spasms in sleep
vigorous, unconscious chewing

Because children tend to be more active than adults, they are more likely to bite their tongues.

Sometimes, a person who has epilepsy might bite their tongue during a seizure. Someone with epilepsy cannot swallow their tongue during a seizure.

Diagnosis

Typically, when people bite their tongues, they are aware of how they did it, and the injury heals on its own.

When people injure their tongues and seek medical treatment, a doctor will examine the size and shape of the wound, as well as the condition of the tongue, to decide if stitches are necessary.

Some people bite their tongues in their sleep. Doctors find diagnosing why this happens more complicated. They may look for signs of:

sleep apnea
teeth grinding (also known as bruxism)
epilepsy

Treatment

Very often, home treatment is all that a person needs to manage a bit tongue. The following steps can serve as a guideline:

Ask individuals to rinse out their mouths with water first. This makes it easier to see the site of the injury and remove any blood or debris.
If it is necessary to put hands in the injured person’s mouth, wear medical gloves.
Look for pieces of teeth or other objects that could be in the mouth.
If the tongue is swelling, try using ice cubes wrapped in cloth or ice pops to reduce it. Avoid putting ice or ice water directly on the tongue.
If the tongue is bleeding, try to stop it by applying pressure with a sterile gauze pad or piece of clean cloth.
If the bleeding continues after 15 minutes of applying pressure, consider seeking medical help.

It is essential to keep the wound clean, so be sure to rinse the mouth after every meal, using a solution made from one cup of water and one teaspoon of salt.

Sometimes, a doctor will have difficulty determining whether a tongue bite is severe enough to require stitches, particularly when children are involved. A 2018 study only recommended stitches for tongue wounds that are bigger than two centimeters (cm) long unless they affect the tip of the tongue.

Prevention

It is not always possible to prevent tongue biting. However, the following safety tips can make it less likely for a person to bite their tongue accidentally:

Make sure all players wear a helmet, face mask, and or mouth guard while engaging in any sports or activities where head and mouth injuries are possible.
Take all steps necessary to “baby-proof” a household and protect young children from falls and other accidents.
Encourage people, especially young children, to be mindful when they are eating and chewing.
Try to limit any kind of injury in a car by ensuring that all adults are wearing seat belts and all children are in appropriate car seats.

Individuals with conditions that may cause seizures should work with their healthcare teams to make sure they and their loved ones know what to do to protect their tongues during a seizure.

If sleep apnea or teeth grinding are causing tongue biting, working with sleep specialists or dentists can help people find practices to manage these issues.

Complications

Most of the time, a bit tongue heals on its own in a few days. Complications tend to arise only with more severe injuries. They require prompt medical treatment and may include:

infection
disfigured tongue
impaired functioning of the tongue
blocked airway

Healing time

The time it takes a bit tongue to heal depends on the severity of the injury. With conservative management, the average healing time is six to seven days. If sutures or stitches are necessary, the average healing time is longer and can take around two weeks.

It is advisable to eat soft foods while recovering from a bit tongue, such as:

smooth peanut butter
yogurt
cottage cheese
soups
custards
ice cream
sherbets
eggs
well-cooked or canned fruits and vegetables
tuna

Experts advise avoiding the following foods and practices, which can irritate the damaged tissue, causing pain and slowing healing:

citrus fruits and juices
tomatoes and tomato juice
very salty or spicy foods
using tobacco
drinking alcohol

Use over-the-counter medications to help relieve pain. This can include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil) or other medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol).

When to seek medical help

Signs that a bit tongue needs medical treatment may include:

serious bleeding that does not stop
a weak or fast pulse
trouble or shallow breathing
skin turning pale and clammy
signs of infection

If there is extensive bleeding, seek medical help right away. The individual may have bitten through their tongue and may have severed it.

Summary

Most of the time, a bit tongue is a painful but short-lived injury, commonly due to sports-related and other accidents.

When people bite their tongues, they usually recover without medical treatment in a few days. More serious, deeper bites can take longer and run a greater risk of complication.

It is not usually necessary to see a doctor for a bit tongue, but if the bleeding is severe and a person suspects more damage, seek medical help.

Pediatrics / Children's Health
Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia
First Aid
Parenthood

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesMedical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

7 factors that affect wound healing. (n.d.).https://blog.logansportmemorial.org/7-factors-that-affect-wound-healing
Facts about seizures and epilepsy. (2019).https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/about-epilepsy-basics/facts-about-seizures-and-epilepsy
First aid for bites or cuts to a child’s lip. (2019).https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries-emergencies/Pages/First-Aid-for-Bites-or-Cuts-to-a-Childs-Tongue-or-Lip.aspx
Gonsalves CL, et al. (2022). Surgical versus conservative management of tongue lacerations in acute care setting: A systematic review of the literature.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8900692/
Health library. (2023).https://www.nyp.org/healthlibrary/articles/mouth-wounds-how-to-stop-bleeding
Hennessy BJ. (2024). Tongue trauma.https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/dental-disorders/lip-and-tongue-disorders/tongue-trauma
Hennessy BJ. (2024). Tongue discomfort.https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/dental-disorders/lip-and-tongue-disorders/tongue-discomfort
Hernández-Méndez JR, et al. (2016). Traumatic partial amputation of the tongue. Case report and literature review.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2049080115001818
Huntsberry S. (2021). Why does biting your tongue hurt so much?.https://www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/articles/2021/nov/why-does-biting-your-tongue-hurt-so-much/
Mouth injury. (2023).https://www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/mouth-injury/
Mouth soreness and pain. (2024).https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/side-effects/eating-problems/mouth-sores.html
Other body-focused repetitive behaviors. (n.d.).https://www.bfrb.org/learn-about-bfrbs/other-bfrbs
Seiler M, et al. (2018). Tongue lacerations in children: To suture or not?https://smw.ch/article/doi/smw.2018.14683
Sore or white tongue. (2023).https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sore-or-white-tongue/
Stone M, et al. (2018). Structure and variability in human tongue muscle anatomy.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6101673/

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Medically reviewed by Angelica Balingit, MD — Written by Danielle Dresden — Updated on August 12, 2024

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