Burnt Tongue Treatment: What to Do, What to Eat and How Long It Takes

Cool the tongue at once. Sip cold water and hold it in the mouth, or let an ice chip or ice cream melt on the tongue. Keep cooling for several minutes. Do not apply toothpaste, butter, turmeric paste or any home paste, and do not use ice directly for long periods.

Take a pause from hot tea, soup and other drinks and let it settle. Sucking on cold water through the day is fine.

Choose cool or lukewarm soft food: curd, buttermilk, banana, khichdi, porridge, smoothies and ice cream. Drink plenty of water. Avoid hot drinks, spicy food, salty or sour food, citrus, tomato and crunchy items that scrape the raw surface. Stop tobacco and paan, which slow healing.

Brush gently and avoid mouthwash that stings. Warm salt water rinses are soothing once the burn has cooled. For pain, widely available paracetamol, taken as directed on the label, suits most adults. Ask a pharmacist or doctor first if you have liver disease, drink alcohol regularly or take other medicines.

The tongue's surface renews quickly. A mild burn that leaves the tongue tender and rough usually settles in three to seven days, and the taste buds recover too. A burn with blisters may take up to two weeks. Leave blisters alone, as our guide on blisters on the tongue explains.

See a dentist or doctor if a burn is large, very painful, blistered across much of the tongue, or has not improved after two weeks. A sore that has not healed in three weeks needs examining, as the mouth ulcers page explains. A cut rather than a burn is covered in the guide on tongue biting treatment.

A burning, scalded or tingling feeling in the tongue with no hot food and nothing visible is a different problem. It is sometimes called burning mouth, and it can come with a dry mouth, altered taste or a metallic taste. Causes include low iron, B12 or folate, diabetes, dry mouth, menopause, some medicines and thrush.

If it lasts more than a couple of weeks, see a doctor or dentist. They can examine the mouth and check for causes with a blood test, rather than treating it as a burn.

Swelling of the tongue or lips, or trouble swallowing or breathing after a hot drink or a chemical, needs a hospital emergency department.