- Main causes of swelling in the mouth
- 1. Allergy
- 2. Herpes
- 3. Dry or burnt lips from the cold or the sun
- 4. Mucocele
- 5. Dental abscess
- 6. Fall, injury or contusion
- 7. Impetigo
- Other causes
- When to go to the doctor
The swollen mouth, usually, is a sign of allergy and can appear immediately or up to 2 hours after taking some medicine or eating foods that tend to cause allergic reactions, such as peanuts, shellfish, egg or soy, for example.
However, a swollen mouth can also indicate other health problems, such as cold sores, dry and burnt lips, mucocele or other inflamed lips, so it is recommended to consult a general practitioner or pediatrician, in the case of children, whenever the swelling lasts more than 3 days or, immediately, in an emergency room, if breathing is difficult.
Rubbing a pebble of ice on your swollen lips can help deflate, but using allergy drugs can also be helpful. Check the names of some allergy remedies.
Main causes of swelling in the mouth
The most common causes of swelling in the mouth are:
1. Allergy
Food allergy is the main cause of swollen mouth and lips and usually appears up to 2 hours after eating, and may also be accompanied by a cough, a feeling of something in the throat, difficulty breathing or redness in the face. However, other types of allergies can arise, being caused by lipstick, makeup, pills, home whitening or plants.
What to do: treatment is usually done using anti-allergic pills, such as Cetirizine or Desloratadine, prescribed by the general practitioner. In case of great difficulty in breathing, you should immediately go to the emergency room or call an ambulance, calling 192. In addition, it is advisable to do an allergy test to assess the type of substances that produce a reaction to prevent you from coming back. to arise. In situations due to the use of lipstick, makeup or cosmetic products, it is also recommended not to use the same product again.
2. Herpes
Herpes infection in the mouth can cause swelling of the lip, accompanied by small blisters, as well as a tingling or numbness sensation in the area. However, other infections, such as candidiasis, can also cause swelling of the mouth, especially when the lips are chapped, which increases the proliferation of many microorganisms, causing redness around the lips, fever and pain.
What to do: It is necessary to consult a general practitioner to assess the problem and identify the microorganism that is causing the infection, to start treatment with ointments or pills. In the case of herpes, it may be necessary to use anti-viral ointments and pills, such as acyclovir, for example. Anti-inflammatory or analgesic pills, like ibuprofen or paracetamol, for example, can also be used to relieve symptoms of pain and tenderness in the mouth. Better understand the signs and how to cure herpes from the mouth.
3. Dry or burnt lips from the cold or the sun
Sunburn, hot food, or acidic foods, such as lemon or pineapple, can cause swelling in the mouth that usually lasts about 1 or 2 days, accompanied by pain, burning and color changes in the area. The same can happen when you are in extreme temperatures, in very cold places or with snow.
What to do: To reduce swelling and apply moisturizer, cocoa butter or petroleum jelly when the lips are dry or burned. Here's how to make a great homemade moisturizer for dry lips.
4. Mucocele
The mucocele is a type of cyst that causes the appearance of a small swelling in the mouth after biting the lips or after strokes, for example, due to the accumulation of saliva inside the inflamed salivary gland.
What to do: usually the mucocele disappears without any type of treatment after 1 or 2 weeks, however, when it increases in size or delay to disappear it may be advisable to go to the otorhinolaryngologist to evaluate and drain the cyst, accelerating the treatment.
Better understand the causes and treatment of mucocele.
5. Dental abscess
Inflammation of the teeth, due to decay or tooth abscess, for example, causes swelling of the gums, which can extend to the lips. In this case, the person feels a lot of pain around the inflamed tooth, which can be accompanied by bleeding, bad smell in the mouth and even fever. The lips can also suffer inflammations caused by pimples, folliculitis or some trauma, such as by using the device, for example, which may appear suddenly.
What to do: in the case of dental inflammation, the dentist should be sought for treatment of the inflammation, with analgesic drugs, antibiotics or, if necessary, dental surgical procedure. To relieve inflammation of the lips, compress with warm water, and anti-inflammatory tablets, such as ibuprofen, prescribed by the general practitioner, can be used to relieve pain and swelling. Learn more details of treatment for tooth abscess.
6. Fall, injury or contusion
A fall can cause an injury to the mouth, which can also happen in a car accident, which can leave the mouth swollen for a few days until the injured tissues recover completely. Usually the place is very sore and the skin may have red or red marks, sometimes the tooth can hurt the lip causing a cut, which is very common in children who are learning to walk or who are already running and playing ball with the friends.
What to do: Cold compresses and tea bags of cold chamomile can be applied directly over the swollen mouth, which can deflate the area in a few minutes. It should be used, 2 to 3 times a day.
7. Impetigo
Impetigo can also make your mouth swollen, but there is always a scab on your lip or near your nose. This is a common childhood infection, which easily passes from one child to another, and which should always be evaluated by a pediatrician.
What to do: You should go to the doctor so that he can confirm that you are really impetigo and indicate the use of an antibiotic ointment. In addition, it is necessary to take some important precautions such as not tearing the skin from the bruise, keeping the region always clean, taking a shower daily and applying the medicine immediately afterwards. Check out more care to cure impetigo faster.
Other causes
In addition to these, there are other causes of swelling in the mouth such as:
- Insect bite; Use of braces on teeth; Spicy foods; Pre-eclampsia in pregnancy; Inflamed piercing ; Canker sores; Cheilitis; Oral cancer; Heart, liver or kidney failure.
Thus, it is important to seek medical help if this symptom is present and you cannot identify the reason.
When to go to the doctor
It is also recommended to consult the emergency room whenever the swelling of the mouth:
- It appears suddenly and the mouth is very swollen, and also the tongue and throat, making it difficult / impeding breathing; It takes more than 3 days to disappear; It appears with other symptoms such as fever above 38ºC or difficulty to swallow; It is accompanied by swelling on the entire face or elsewhere on the body.
In these cases, the doctor will be able to clear the airways to facilitate breathing, and if necessary, use medications, but it can also be useful to have blood tests and allergy tests to identify what made your mouth swollen, so that it does not happen again.
