Oral Health›Common problems

Mouth Injuries: Cuts to the Lips, Tongue, Cheeks and Gums

Cuts and knocks to the lips, tongue, cheeks and gums are common, especially in children, and often look worse than they are. Here is first aid, when a cut needs stitches, burns from hot food, signs of infection and when to get emergency help.

Updated September 2026·By the OHA editorial team·7 min read·How we write
Key takeaways
  • Cuts in the mouth often bleed a lot, but usually heal quickly.
  • Press firmly with a clean cloth or gauze. healthdirect Australia says bleeding should stop within about 10 minutes.
  • Most cuts to the tongue, the inside of the lip and the roof of the mouth heal without stitches. A cut on the outside of the lip, a gaping cut, or one that keeps bleeding may need them.
  • A fall with a pencil, toothbrush or similar object in the mouth needs checking straight away.
  • For knocked-out or broken teeth, see dental emergencies.

healthdirect Australia says cuts to the mouth or tongue commonly happen after a fall or knock to the head, or from biting your lips, tongue or cheeks while eating. This guide is about the soft parts of the mouth. For teeth, see dental emergencies, loose teeth and cracked or broken teeth.

Get help urgently

UK: the NHS says go to A&E or call 999 if you have:

  • serious injuries to your face or jaw
  • heavy bleeding from your mouth that will not stop
  • severe swelling of your mouth, lips, throat or neck, and difficulty breathing or opening one or both eyes
  • any injury to your head or face that has made you lose consciousness, be sick (vomit) or have double vision

Do not drive yourself: ask someone to drive you or call 999.

Australia: healthdirect says call triple zero (000) or go to the emergency department if there is trouble breathing, talking or swallowing, a lot of blood going down the throat, or the mouth or tongue is very swollen, and get urgent help if bleeding does not stop after 10 minutes. The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne adds calling an ambulance if a child has lost consciousness.

US: the American Academy of Pediatrics says call 911 if a child is not waking up or acting normally, has trouble opening and closing their mouth, breathing or swallowing, has severe neck pain, or is bleeding a lot.

Head injury: the NHS says call 999 if someone who has hit their head has been knocked out and not woken, cannot stay awake, has a fit, has problems with their vision or hearing, or their behaviour has changed.

First aid for a cut in the mouth

The Royal Children's Hospital says mouth cuts bleed because there are a lot of blood vessels in the mouth, but these areas also heal fast.

  1. Check for other injuries. healthdirect says a mouth injury from a fall or knock may come with a head injury or damaged teeth, and to make sure bleeding or swelling is not affecting breathing.
  2. Press on the bleeding with a clean cloth, gauze or pad, after washing your hands or putting on gloves (healthdirect, Royal Children's Hospital). healthdirect says do not lie down flat.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says press for 10 minutes without lifting to check. For a cut lip, the AAP suggests pressing the outer lip against the teeth.

  1. Spit, do not swallow. healthdirect says swallowing blood may make you feel sick or vomit.
  2. Clean the area. The AAP says rinse cuts inside the mouth with cool water, and gently wash a cut on the outer lip with warm water and soap.
  3. Ease pain and swelling with a cold compress or wrapped ice pack held on the outside (healthdirect, AAP). The AAP says an ice lolly or ice cube to suck can help, if safe for a child's age. healthdirect suggests paracetamol and says avoid high doses of aspirin, which could increase bleeding. Aspirin advice for children differs by country: see dental emergencies.

Tongue and upper lip

The AAP says tongue cuts often ooze a little blood for several hours.

The frenulum is the small fold of tissue joining the upper lip to the gum. The AAP says a tear here is very common and always heals without stitches, but bleeds again whenever you pull the lip out to look, so wait 3 days before checking it.

Does it need stitches?

Most do not. healthdirect says most cuts on the tongue or the palate (the roof of the mouth) heal on their own, and small cuts inside the lip do not usually need stitches. A very large cut, one that will not stop bleeding, or a cut on the outside of the lip may need stitches, so see a doctor or emergency department.

The AAP says a cut may need stitches if it is deep or longer than 2 cm, still bleeding after 15 minutes of steady pressure, or goes through the edge of the lip or across the edge of the tongue. It says tongue bites rarely need stitches: if the edges come together when the tongue is still, no treatment is needed.

Tetanus. healthdirect says if the wound was caused by a dirty object, such as a rusty nail, ask a doctor whether you need a tetanus booster.

Caring for the cut while it heals

  • Salt water rinses. healthdirect says warm salt water can relieve pain and reduce the chance of infection: one teaspoon of salt in a cup of water, rinsed and spat out a few times a day. The NHS suggests half a teaspoon in a glass of warm water. Do not swallow it.
  • Food and drink. The AAP suggests soft food, plenty of cold drinks, avoiding citrus, salty or spicy foods, and rinsing with warm water after meals.
  • What to expect. The AAP says small cuts inside the mouth heal in 3 or 4 days, and a healing wound in the mouth normally looks white.

If braces are rubbing, see caring for teeth with braces.

Mouth injuries in children

The AAP says upper lip cuts are usually from falls, and lower lip cuts from catching the lip between the teeth while falling.

Objects in the mouth

The AAP says the serious mouth injuries are those to the tonsils, the soft palate (the soft back part of the roof of the mouth) or the back of the throat, for example from falling with a pencil or toothbrush in the mouth. A puncture wound there can cause a deep infection in the neck, so a child with an injury to the back of the mouth from a long object should go to an emergency department straight away.

A 2026 case report in Clinical Case Reports says these injuries are common in preschool children, who fall while holding objects such as pencils, straws, spoons and toothbrushes in their mouths. The authors advise supervising young children while they brush, and not trying to pull out a stuck object at home.

How cautious to be

Sources differ. healthdirect says most mouth and tongue cuts heal without stitches, but the Royal Children's Hospital's parent fact sheet is more cautious: it says to take a child to hospital if their lips, tongue or gums are bleeding or swollen, and to care for them at home only if the injury is minor, not very painful, not bleeding or swollen, and no teeth are lost. The AAP says a baby under 1 year old with a mouth injury should be seen. If unsure, get your child checked. For sport, see sports mouthguards.

Burns from hot food and drink

The NHS lists burns from eating or drinking, such as hot drinks, among the causes of single mouth ulcers. NHS inform (Scotland) says if you burn the inside of your mouth with a hot drink, avoid things that could irritate it, such as hot and spicy food, alcohol and smoking.

nidirect (Northern Ireland) and the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network advise against warming babies' bottles in a microwave: nidirect says the milk can heat unevenly and scald a baby's mouth.

The NHS says call 999 or go to A&E for a burn that is very large or deep, is on the face, or was caused by a chemical or electricity. If unsure, call NHS 111.

Signs of infection

healthdirect says infections are not common, but see a dentist or doctor if the mouth or tongue becomes very swollen or painful, fluid comes from the wound, or you develop a fever or feel unwell, as antibiotics may be needed. The AAP says the main sign is pain or swelling that increases after 48 hours.

When to see a dentist
  • After any knock to the mouth, even if the teeth look fine. healthdirect says you might not see all the damage.
  • Something is stuck in your mouth that you cannot gently remove with floss. The American Dental Association says not to use a sharp or pointed object.
  • The mouth looks infected, as described above (healthdirect).
  • A sore in the mouth has not healed after 3 weeks. The NHS says see a dentist or GP.

Frequently asked questions

Does a cut on the tongue need stitches?

Usually not (healthdirect, AAP). Get a very large or gaping cut, or one that will not stop bleeding, checked.

My child fell with a toothbrush in their mouth. What should I do?

If the back of the mouth is injured, the AAP says go to an emergency department straight away. Do not pull out anything that is stuck.

Could there be a head injury too?

Yes. healthdirect says mouth injuries from a fall or knock may come with a head injury. As well as the warning signs above, the NHS says call 111 if someone who has hit their head is being sick, feels dizzy or takes blood-thinning medicine.

Sources

  1. Mouth and tongue cuts, healthdirect Australia, accessed September 2026
  2. Dental injury, healthdirect Australia, accessed September 2026
  3. Mouth injuries and dislodged teeth, Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne (Kids Health Info), accessed September 2026
  4. First aid for bites or cuts to a child's tongue or lip, American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org), accessed September 2026
  5. Mouth injury (symptom checker), American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org), accessed September 2026
  6. Dental emergencies, American Dental Association (MouthHealthy), accessed September 2026
  7. How to find an emergency or urgent NHS dentist appointment, NHS, accessed September 2026
  8. Head injury and concussion, NHS, accessed September 2026
  9. Mouth ulcers, NHS, accessed September 2026
  10. Burns and scalds, NHS, accessed September 2026
  11. Burns and scalds, NHS inform (Scotland), accessed September 2026
  12. Keeping children safe from burns and scalds, nidirect (Northern Ireland), accessed September 2026
  13. Burns and scalds safety, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, accessed September 2026
  14. Buccal space implantation of a toothbrush following traumatic fall: a case report, Clinical Case Reports (Dharel and others, 2026), accessed September 2026

This article is general information about oral health. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for advice from a dentist or doctor who knows your situation. If you have pain, swelling, bleeding that does not settle, or a problem that is getting worse, see a dental professional. In an emergency, contact your local emergency service.

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