Why Does The Roof of My Mouth Hurt? Causes & Systems Explained CARDS DENTAL (2024)

Why does the roof of my mouth hurt?

Sometimes you feel pain or burning on the roof of your mouth which should not be considered as an uncommon occurrence. It happens because the mouth is the most sensitive part of our body and it comes in contact with a lot of different types of foreign substances that cause adverse reactions. This results in soreness on the roof of the mouth that further causes pain and discomfort especially when you are drinking or eating.

What leads to the burn?

Burning the roof of the mouth is a common problem that occurs when you eat something hot usually. You should also note that it is a common occurrence and can be easily cured at home. It is also very important to oversee what leads to your mouth’s roof burns in order to understand the treatment and time it takes to heal better.

The tissue inside our mouth is very delicate and sensitive towards hot food and drinks and would burn easily when in contact with these. When affected the burn is swollen and very painful. As a result, the tissues and skin cells are damaged but they can be easily healed. Once the roof on the mouth is healed, the dead skin cells are replaced with new cells.

What does your burn indicate?

The time the burn will take to heal will depend upon how you’re treating it and what type of burn you’re suffering from. First degree burns are the ones that cause minimal damage and can be easily healed with home remedies in a matter of a few days.

The symptoms of first degree burns are quite nominal ranging from minor pairs, redness, and swelling. Whereas if the situation is worse and the symptoms include severe pain, blistering, extreme redness then that indicates a second or third-degree burn and you might want to consult a doctor for it and the time for it to heal might be longer than a first-degree burn.

What are the symptoms of soreness?

Pain:

Pain is the most common symptom of this condition. And sometimes this pain accompanies swelling in which the condition becomes worse. This pain in the roof of the mouth can be the result of trauma or ulcer. But sometimes it also shows the signs of severe conditions such as oral cancer, hepatitis or maybe liver disease due to alcohol.

Dry mouth:

Usually, your mouth gets dry during soreness and pain. This may occur due to dental problems such as an obstruction in salivary glands. When you consume spicy foods, your mouth starts to burn and due to this, your mouth gets dry. Even excess of alcohol leads you to dehydration which causes dryness in the mouth and swelling in the roof of the mouth.

Soreness and blisters:

Sometimes on the roof of your mouth, small bumps become visible due to the cold or canker sores. When these bumps grow, they become quite painful and soreness becomes more irritating.

Muscle contractions:

If the electrolyte level in your body becomes low then it causes cramps, spasms, and even contractions.

Other symptoms:

• Other symptoms include redness inside the mouth and sometimes even outside.
• Swelling on the roof of the mouth.
• Too much heat production inside the mouth especially from the roof of the mouth.
• Loss of function.

What are the causes of pain in the roof of the mouth?

Trauma:

Traumas usually cause pain in the roof of the mouth. These traumas include burning which is due to drinking or eating an excess of hot foods and beverages. This causes blister which starts to form on the burning area especially on the roof of the mouth due to which the palate becomes sensitive to touch.

Canker sore or mouth ulcer:

A canker sore is small sores that occur on the roof of the mouth in red, yellow, or white color. They are quite painful. They may also form on the tongue and sometimes on the cheeks and even lips.

Infections:

Pain in the roof of the mouth can be due to viral or bacterial infections such as tonsillitis, streptococcal sore throat, sinusitis, and cold. When there is a sinus pressure of pushing on the roof of the mouth, it starts to hurt, or maybe there is a bacterial growth that irritates the flesh. These fungal infections most commonly come from the candida Albicans that causes redness on the soft palate as well as on the hard palate and then causes pain.

Substances that cause irritation:

When you take the substances that irritate the flesh in the mouth, it becomes the reason for pain on the roof of the mouth. It is because substances like sharp food usually scratch the tissues of the mouth and it becomes irritating and you feel discomfort.

Imbalance in the level of electrolyte:

Electrolytes are the minerals that are present in your blood, body fluids, and urine. It is important to maintain the level of these minerals in order to make your body function appropriately. If there is an imbalance in these minerals, then it will lead to severe pain with swelling in the roof of the mouth.

An excess of alcohol:

If you consume an excess of alcohol and then go through a hangover, after a little time you will notice some swelling and discomfort in the roof of the mouth. It is because, when you take a lot of alcohol, your body releases more urine than normal which causes dehydration. This dehydration leads to dry mouth which further leads to swelling and even tenderness on the palate.

Cold sore:

When you are going through a common fever or cold, mouth sore occurs as a side effect. This becomes the reason for pain in the roof of the mouth.

Acute bacterial and viral sinusitis:

Viral and bacterial sinusitis causes chronic inflammation at the back of the throat or even between the nostrils. The bacteria present in the nose enters the sinuses that leads to discomfort and pain.

Treatment for the burns on the roof of your mouth

Where we have talked about the severeness of first degree burns. It is understandable that one easily heals them at home.

Cold food and beverages

Consume cold or frozen food and drink in the process of healing but make sure whatever you’re consuming doesn’t have sharp or peaky edges neither it is spicy as that will aggravate the burn. Milk is a good option as it is known for coating a layer over the burn avoiding irritation.

Saltwater

Rinse your mouth with lukewarm water with salt to treat the burn. You might want to do this multiple times a day for better results and the pain on the roof can recur after you take a snack or drink water. This mixture helps reduce inflammation and pain from your burn.

Aloe vera

Aloe vera is well known for healing burns on external skin well it is interesting to note that it can be used orally as well. Where using aloe vera in its natural form might not be your preference you can look out for mouth rinses that contain aloe vera.

Honey

Honey is also known for reducing burn inflammation. The gentle coating of honey over the burn is good for the healing process as it has antimicrobial properties that help it to kill harmful organisms, preventing infection and pain.

Soft food

It is very important to look after the roof once the burn has occurred. During the healing process, the new skin emerging is very delicate. Spicy food or food with sharp and peaky edges can cause damage to this new skin leaving you with extreme pain and might result in infection if not taken care of.

Taking care

Other than food there are a lot of other things that are part of your everyday life and can cause trouble in the time of burn healing process. These may include brushing, use of alcohol and tobacco.

Note that the healing process may take a week after which you’re free to move on with your normal routine. During the healing process, it is very important to take the precautions seriously and avoid any further discomfort.

Mint

The methanol in mint can avoid the burning sensation in your mouth and prevent infection. You can either use mint toothpaste or chew a mint leaf or mint-flavored gum.

The time period that the burn takes to heal

If it’s a minor or first-degree burn that has occurred as a result of consuming hot food then using the home remedies should heal it in a matter of a few days. The burn on the roof of your mouth will slowly heal day by day and will be long gone within a maximum of 6 days.

Severe burns, or as we mentioned earlier, the second or third-degree burns usually take longer to heal. A period of seven days is to ensure that the skin tissues are preserved and the nerves inside your mouth are healed.

Speaking about burns in a child’s mouth, you should take care of as you would with your first-degree burn but make sure no medication, if any, is likely to cause allergies. For them, the skin peels within two or three days after which it starts healing.

So, it is very important to take reasonable care both before and after the occurrence of burn. Make sure you have patience while consuming your food and avoid such encounters. If, unfortunately, it does happen take reasonable care of it to avoid infection, extreme swelling, and inflammation.

When to concern a doctor?

• When you feel difficulty in drinking and eating.
• Soreness is spreading all over the mouth.
• When the pain becomes intolerable.
• Sores on the palate or tongue are quite large in size.

In case the burn is very severe and home remedies are of no help then you need to see a doctor. The symptoms include developing a fever, sore white patches, extreme trouble in swallowing.

They can look over your symptoms and healing progress better in order to see what type of burn you’re suffering and the suitable treatment for it. In some cases, a person is also likely to take certain medications consulted from the doctor to deal with pain and inflammation.

It is very important to consult a doctor at this stage where you are unable to self heal yourself. Not taking suitable care will lead to infections and worst situations and where the burn might take a week to heal, not looking after can extend the period to a few more weeks.

FAQS

How long does it take a burn on the roof of your mouth to heal?

A mild burn on the mouth’s roof which doesn’t have any blisters normally takes no more than 2 to 4 days to get completely healed. However, if the burns are of severe nature, they can cause skin peeling and form blisters. Thus such a situation can take about two weeks to heal completely. However, if the situation doesn’t heal in time, you can take some antibiotics as referred by the doctor.

What causes blisters on the roof of your mouth?

There could be several reasons for blisters in your mouth’s roof. The basic reason for this can be food allergies. There might be some of the foods that can cause allergic reactions to your mouth. Such foods include acidic foods, citrus fruits, peanuts, coffee, strawberries, cheese, almonds, and wheat flour. If you are having such an allergy from foods, you can also have vomiting, runny nose, and sneezing.

Canker sores can also be the reason for blisters in your mouth. Canker sores are also called aphthous ulcers and mouth ulcers which are a form of open blisters on the mouth’s floors, cheeks, lips, and tongue. Certain mineral and vitamin deficiencies can also cause blisters on your mouth’s roof.

What are the common medications to treat the roof of the mouth burn?

Patients and doctors both can mutually decide on the best course of treatment they need to have. If you are having a severe burn in your mouth’s roof, antibiotics can help you in healing it soon while fighting off with bacterial infections. You can use several antibiotics with the recommendation of your doctor including ampicillin, cefazolin, oxacillin, penicillin, and amoxicillin.

How to stop the roof of your mouth from itching?

There might be several reasons for you to have itching in your mouth’s roof. By taking some of the precautionary measures, you can stop the itching. First, you need to find the cause and then prevent it. Think about what you had put last in your mouth. There might be some specific foods that can cause itching in your mouth and you need to stop eating them as soon as you find the cause. Hard foods like biscuits, nuts, fries, and chips can also cause itching in your mouth’s roof. Drinking warm water can help stop itching. A dollop of honey in warm milk may also help in stopping itching and it also tastes yum. Having nuts free ice-cream can also be a good remedy.

Why does cereal hurt the roof of my mouth?

Sometimes while eating or after eating cereals, your mouth’s roof may start getting hurt. The cereal might cut the soft palate tissues in your mouth which may hurt. Moreover, some types of cereals may have allergic ingredients that cause irritation to mucosa of the mouth. This is how cereals may cause allergic reactions to your mouth. The best way to prevent it is by identifying the ingredients causing allergic reactions to your mouth and stop having them while you have identified them.

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