What Is Soft Tissue Injury in Dentistry?

Dentists are not just responsible for the care and treatment of the teeth but also the gums and other soft tissues of the mouth. If you suffer a dental injury, it’s possible that your teeth, as well as the soft tissues within your mouth, have sustained damage and require treatment. You should understand what dental soft tissue injuries are, how to prevent them, and how your dentist is likely to treat them.

Types of Soft Tissues in the Mouth

Your mouth is home to your teeth as well as several soft tissues, including:

• Gums. These structures protect and support your teeth. It’s possible to injure your own gums unintentionally by brushing your teeth too hard.
• Cheeks. The insides of your cheeks are soft and sensitive, and they are vulnerable to many types of injuries.
• Tongue. The tongue is one of the fastest healing parts of the body, but it will still require professional treatment if it is bitten severely or partially severed.
• Lips. Lips are softer than the rest of the skin on the face, and some people sustain injuries to their lips from foods and beverages that are too hot and physical trauma.

Any of these soft tissues could sustain injuries, but they are also troublesome because of the high risk of infection they carry. The human mouth is typically home to many different types of bacteria, even with good daily hygiene habits. If left untreated, a soft tissue injury in the mouth can lead to severe pain before causing fever and other symptoms of infection.

Treating a Soft Tissue Injury

It’s not uncommon for people to sustain minor soft tissue injuries to the mouth from accidentally biting their lips, cheeks, or tongues, bumping their jaw and gumline, or from brushing their teeth too aggressively. Luckily, most soft tissue injuries in the mouth do not bleed much, and they are immediately treatable by rinsing with salt water to clean the wound, gauze to stop bleeding, and ice to treat throbbing pain.

You may require professional treatment for a serious soft tissue injury, such as severe damage to the gums, lips, or cheeks from a traumatic injury. In this case, you should seek immediate emergency dental care from a reliable provider. If your regular dentist is unavailable when you need treatment for a soft tissue injury in your mouth, Emergency Dental Service can help you find a local emergency dentist to perform the restorative treatment you need. Contact us online or call 1-888-350-1340 to schedule your emergency treatment for soft tissue injury today.