How To Heal a Burned Tongue
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Medically reviewed by Michael Menna, DO
A burned tongue is a common experience where the surface of your tongue is damaged when exposed to something hot. Usually, it is hot foods or drinks that burn your tongue. But other substances, such as vapor, can burn you tongue too.
The tongue is necessary for speaking, tasting, chewing, swallowing, and breathing. A burned tongue may make these tasks uncomfortable or painful to do.
To ensure you can use your tongue pain-free and to avoid any complications like infection, it is important to address and heal a burned tongue promptly.
What Can Cause a Burned Tongue?
A burned tongue is usually caused by eating or drinking very hot foods or drinks. Food that has been heated in a microwave or liquids that are hot enough that they are near boiling can lead to a burned tongue. Tea, cheese, potatoes, and noodles are some of the foods that most commonly burn your tongue.
Inhaling hot vapors or liquids can also burn your tongue. Holding flammable or corrosive objects in the mouth can cause you to burn your tongue, as well.
In any of these situations, a burned tongue means the surface or deeper layers of the tongue have been damaged by exposure to the excessive heat. While the tongue is mainly made up of muscle, its upper portion is covered with small bumpy growths of tissue called papillae. When the papillae on the tongue's surface are exposed to the hot item, the tissue becomes burned.
If you feel as though your tongue is burning but you haven't exposed your mouth to anything hot to cause a burn, you may have a condition that is causing the burning sensation. This can include burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and geographic tongue.
BMS is a chronic condition where a burning sensation occurs in the mouth, including the tongue, every day for months. Experts aren't sure what causes BMS, but damage to the nerves that control pain is thought to be related. You may also develop BMS in response to teeth grinding or medical conditions such as dry mouth and nutritional deficiencies.
Geographic tongue is an inflammatory disorder that can cause red areas on the top and sides of the tongue. The red parts appear smooth since the papillae on the tongue are no longer there. People with the condition may feel as though their tongue is burning. Experts are unsure of what causes geographic tongue, but it's suspected that factors like emotional stress, allergies, diabetes, and hormonal disturbances may play a role.
Symptoms of a Burned Tongue
A burned tongue may sting or tingle. It can look swollen or appear red. You also might experience a change in taste.
The symptoms you experience—and how long you experience them—can depend on how severe the burn is. Burns are classified into three degrees of severity based on the surface area of tissue that has been damaged and how deep the burn is. You may experience the following symptoms based on what stage your burn is:
First degree: The tongue may appear red and swollen, and you may experience some minor pain.
Second degree: The tongue may blister, turn red, become swollen, or feel painful.
Third degree: The burn is deeper or larger. It is serious and has affected deeper levels of your tongue.
People with a condition that causes the sensation of a burned tongue may have additional symptoms.
With BMS, the pain from a burning tongue may spread to the roof of the mouth or to the lips. Besides a burning sensation, they may feel scalding, tingling, or numbness. People may also have a bitter, metallic, or sour taste in their mouths and experience a dry mouth.
With geographic tongue, the red patches on your tongue may be surrounded by a white border. The tongue's map-like appearance is how it got its name. Some people with geographic tongue may have tongue sensitivities to hot or spicy foods.
Related: What Causes a White Tongue?
How To Soothe a Burned Tongue
Minor tongue burns typically don't require any specific treatment beyond at-home remedies.
To soothe a burned tongue at home, it is important to cool the burn right away. You can do this by rinsing with an oral saline solution (a mixture of salt and water) or running a stream of cool tap water over your tongue. The cool water will help soothe the burn and prevent the spread of heat. Depending how severe the burn is, this can be performed for up to three hours, in 20-minute increments. Make sure to not use alcohol-based mouth rinses since they can irritate wounds and increase pain.
Over-the-counter products can help provide relief, too. These may include pain medications such as Advil (ibuprofen) or Tylenol (acetaminophen).
Practicing basic oral hygiene, like regularly brushing your teeth, can further help the healing process.
It may be also be helpful to avoid substances and foods that could irritate your tongue further, such as tobacco, alcohol-based mouthwashes, spicy foods, hot foods, alcohol, and highly acidic foods like citrus fruits and juices.
If BMS is causing your burned tongue sensation, medications that help reduce the activity of nerve fibers may help manage symptoms. These medications include Klonopin (clonazepam), amitriptyline, or gabapentin (sold under brand names like Gralise and Neurontin).
If geographic tongue is causing the burning sensation, topical anesthetics can be used to numb the surface or anti-inflammatory drugs can be prescribed to reduce pain.
When To See a Healthcare Provider
If your tongue has been severely burned, you should see a healthcare provider for immediate medical care.
If your burn is milder, it will likely heal on its own within a week or so. But if you experience any of the following symptoms, you should see a healthcare provider:
Redness or swelling that doesn't go away, even after self-care
Swollen lymph nodes
Increasing level of pain
You should make sure the exposure to the hot substance didn't also affect your esophagus. Monitor for signs that your airway has been compromised, such as trouble breathing.
If your burned tongue doesn't seem to be going away, you should also consider seeing a healthcare provider. They may want to examine your mouth and run tests like a blood test, oral swab test, allergy test, tissue biopsy, salivary flow test, or imaging test to see if there's an underlying condition causing the burning sensation.
How To Prevent a Burned Tongue
The main way to prevent burning your tongue is to let foods and drinks cool before consuming them. Especially when taking food out of the microwave, you should let it sit a minute or two before eating.
You should also avoid inhaling hot vapors or liquids and putting flammable or corrosive objects in your mouth.
If you are around young children, you should keep hot food and drinks out of reach. This way, they can't grab the hot item and put it in their mouth while you're not looking.
If BMS or geographic tongue is causing a burning sensation on your tongue, you may be able to prevent the pain by addressing the underlying issue. This could include reducing stress and addressing nutritional deficiencies.
A Quick Review
A burned tongue is a common condition that can be painful or uncomfortable. Burned tongues usually happen upon eating or drinking something too hot. However, you may also burn your tongue from hot vapors or liquids and flammable or corrosive objects.
You can soothe a burned tongue by rinsing your mouth with saline solution or running cold water over your tongue. To help heal a burned tongue, avoid foods and drinks that may irritate the injury, such as spicy or hot foods. If your tongue burn is severe, seek immediate medical attention. You should also consider seeing a healthcare provider if a burned tongue doesn't go away, gets worse, or leads to breathing issues.
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