How To Heal a Cut on the Roof of Your Mouth Fast

If you have ever cut the roof of your mouth, you know the pain and aggravation that comes with it. The roof of your mouth, also known as your palate, is made of soft tissues that can be very sensitive to temperature and pressure. The area is rich in blood vessels, so even minor oral cuts and scrapes can cause severe bleeding, despite the injury not being severe. And anytime you eat or drink anything, it can irritate cuts or sores. It’s pretty easy to cut or burn the roof of your mouth, leading to pain or discomfort. These types of cuts can be minor or major, but you’ll know they’re there. From pain relief to improving the healing process, it’s important to understand how to care for a cut roof of mouth or other mouth sores. 

Causes Of Injury On The Top Of The Mouth

Here are a few of the most common causes for cutting the roof of your mouth:

• Traumatic mouth injury caused by eating hard/sharp foods such as chips, pretzels, hard crusty breads, popcorn kernels, dry cereal, and hard candies.
• Burns from high-temperature foods or drinks, such as pizza, hot coffee, soup, cheese, or tomato sauce.
• Extremely spicy foods that irritate the roof of your mouth can lead to a cut-like lesion or something that feels like a scratched palate.
• Trauma from one-off incidents such as car accidents, mouth injuries during sports, and some forms of sexual abuse can cause cuts or bruising on the roof of your mouth.
• Recreational drug use, such as palatal perforation from cocaine (it’s rare but can happen from high cocaine use.)

How To Heal A Cut On The Roof Of Your Mouth

Healing a cut inside of your mouth is a bit different from other cuts on your body, due to the difficult location. Cuts anywhere in your mouth can be a pain to deal with, especially since you can’t put a bandage on them. However, they often heal faster than cuts elsewhere on your body due to the quick turnover rate of cells inside the mouth! 

Small Cuts: For smaller-sized cuts on the roof of the mouth, you don’t need to do much other than rinsing with saltwater, giving it some time, and monitoring the cut to make sure it doesn’t get infected. Small cuts are typically superficial and small in diameter. They will usually heal within a few days to a week. 

Deeper Cuts: With deeper cuts comes longer healing time and possible interventions needed from your dental provider. Seeing your dentist can help to eliminate possible infections that could be serious. Typically, deeper cuts are the result of some form of trauma or injury, creating a very deep cut that can progress into a hole in the palate. A hole or perforation in the roof of the mouth is usually the result of excessive cocaine use, and it is a very serious condition because the risk of infection is extremely high.

Saltwater Rinses 

For almost all sores, injuries, or cuts in the mouth, a gentle warm saltwater rinse can help aid in the healing process as well as offer gentle pain relief. Typically, recommendations are to use 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm (not hot) water. If the warm water is irritating to the cut, colder water is okay to use. Saltwater is a natural way to help clean and promote the healing of cuts, sores, or even sore throats because of the osmosis effect. Osmosis occurs when the salt draws out liquids within our cells, reducing inflammation. If these cells contain bacteria within the liquid portion, it will be drawn out, which leads to a cleaner mouth with fewer bacteria. Rinsing with a saltwater solution is a quick and easy way to speed up healing and reduce the risk of infection.

Is it an Emergency Situation? 

Most of the time, a cut on the roof of your mouth is not going to be an emergency. However, if the cut does not heal, is causing extreme pain or discomfort, is actively bleeding, or has any pus draining from it, it’s time to call your dentist right away. It's also important to call if you experience a fever, which could be a sign of infection if the cut is infected and left untreated. Whenever you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to reach out to a professional. It’s always better to treat it than to wait until symptoms worsen and require more extensive care.

How To Treat A Burn On The Roof Of Your Mouth

If you’ve ever eaten pizza, you’ve probably burned the roof of your mouth at some point. Treating a burn on the roof of your mouth can be a bit tough due to the naturally moist environment in your oral mucosa (the skin in your mouth.) Along with saltwater rinsing, there are some products that can help in the mouth wound healing process. Sucking on something cold like an ice cube can relieve discomfort associated with swelling. Aloe vera oral-based products can also soothe and increase the healing time of burns or cuts in the mouth. Numbing sprays are also available over the counter. Dental professionals will usually recommend staying away from spicy food and sticking to soft or cold foods such as ice cream and yogurt. Dairy products can also be helpful in reducing the discomfort that occurs from eating extremely spicy foods because it helps coat the inside of your mouth.

Mouth Wound Pain Relief

While some of the above-mentioned remedies can help with pain and/or discomfort, there are also over-the-counter pain relievers that may help anyone experiencing chronic pain caused by a cut on the roof of their mouth. Special mouthwashes are also available to help ease discomfort and assist in the healing process as well. Ask your dental provider if they can provide any specific recommendations that are unique to you and your concerns, as some are specially mixed (such as “miracle mouthwash”) or require a prescription.

How Long Does It Take To Heal?

Typically, cuts in the mouth will heal much faster than cuts somewhere else on our skin. Oral tissues regenerate at a quicker speed due to fewer layers and a simpler composition compared to the thick outer skin layers on other parts of our body. Your oral tissues are also highly vascular, meaning more blood is available to help aid in the healing process! There is also new research that has found there are specific proteins found in our saliva that can be beneficial to cuts in the healing process, which can speed up the process! It's important to remember that during the healing process, you need to avoid smoking, spicy foods, and hot beverages, which can delay healing. On average, most cuts or sores in your mouth will start to feel better within a few days. 

Preventing Mouth Injuries

While you certainly would not choose to cut the root of your mouth on purpose, there are ways to help prevent this from happening in the future. Chew food slowly, check the temperature of your food before biting into them, and be cautious of spicy dishes! Taking smaller bites and focusing on your meal as you enjoy it can lower your risk of biting your lip, cutting the roof of your mouth, or burning yourself. As a side note, young children should always be supervised when eating. But when you do poke your palate with a chip or burn your mouth from pizza, give yourself some time (and rinse with saltwater) to heal the cut naturally. 

Written by Whitney DiFoggio MA, RDH"Teeth Talk Girl," is a registered dental hygienist. She started her dental health journey on YouTube, educating the public through videos.