Laceration in the mouth (cut in the mouth)

Mouth | Emergency Medicine | Laceration in the mouth (cut in the mouth) (Disease)


Description

Because of the rich vascularity of the soft tissues of the mouth, impact injuries often lead to dramatic hemorrhages that send patients to the emergency department with relatively trivial lacerations. Blunt trauma to the face can cause secondary lacerations of the lips, frenulum, buccal mucosa, gingiva, and tongue. Active bleeding has usually stopped by the time a patient with a minor laceration has reached the emergency department.

Causes and Risk factors

A person with a mouth or tongue laceration has a cut, or tear, caused by an injury. Lacerations may also involve structures that lie beneath the skin, such as muscles, tendons, blood vessels, and nerves. When a person has a mouth or tongue laceration, it is important to determine if the laceration has injured a nerve in the face.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Washing a cut or scrape with soap, and water and keeping it clean and dry is all that is required to care for most wounds. Cleaning the wound with hydrogen peroxide and iodine is acceptable initially, but can delay healing and should be avoided long-term. Apply antibiotic ointment and keep the wound covered. Seek medical care within 6 hours if the affected person thinks they might need stitches. Any delay can increase the rate of wound infection. Any puncture wound through sneakers has a high risk of infection and should be seen by a health care practitioner.

Any redness, swelling, increased pain, fever, or pus draining from the wound may indicate an infection that requires medical care. ...