Why is it that when you get a cut on your arm, leg, or  hand it seems like it takes days or even weeks to heal, but when you get a cut or sore in your mouth it practically heals overnight? That is the question we are about to answer.

It may seem like magic that is causing your mouth to heal overnight, but there are several biological factors that aid the healing power of the human mouth.  

The Thin Tissue in Your Mouth is Very Quick to Heal  

Your mouth is lined with a very thin layer of oral tissue. The thinness of the oral tissue has its benefits and drawbacks. It is extremely prone to injury because it is so thin. However, it is the thinness of the oral tissue that makes it so easy to heal.

The tissue in your mouth and around your gums is made up of mucous. Mucous tissue regenerates very quickly. This means when you injure the inside of your mouth, the tissue starts working automatically to heal itself.

A Single Layer is Faster to Heal Than Multiple Layers

Injuries to your mouth tend to heal faster for one simple reason – there are fewer layers of tissue to heal.

The skin on your arms and other parts of your body has multiple layers. Each time you injure yourself, like with a cut, your body needs to start healing itself from the lowest layer of skin. When that layer is healed, your body can then work on healing the other upper layers. This takes a lot of time when you have multiple layers.

A Continuous Supply of Blood

Wounds heal faster when they have access to fresh, nutrient rich blood. Luckily, your mouth is extremely close to multiple blood streams. This close proximity helps dramatically speed up the healing process because your body is not waiting for the blood it needs to heal to flow throughout the body.

Sources of oxygen and nutrient rich streams of blood that are close to your mouth include your neck and head. Both of these body parts produce a never-ending stream of blood that can quickly and easily go to any injury in the mouth and start the healing process.

The Healing Power of Saliva

We often think of saliva as icky, dirty and gross, but it actually has powerful healing elements. There is a specific type of protein found in saliva. This protein has been studied by numerous scientists because of its healing abilities.

One of the most recent scientific studies was one conducted by scientists. The study compared healing times for a wound that was exposed to the protein created by saliva to the healing time of a wound without exposure to this protein. The study concluded that the wound that was exposed to the protein found in saliva was able to completely heal in approximately 16 hours. The wound that was not exposed to the protein did not fully heal after 16 hours.

Your mouth’s continuous exposure to saliva may actually help it heal. Every time you get a cut or sore, the saliva provides the small protein that will dramatically speed up healing times.

Self-Care Tips for Mouth Wounds and Cuts

Even though your mouth has incredible healing abilities, cuts and wounds can still get infected. It is important that you take the necessary steps to prevent infection.

The following are self-care tips for wounds or cuts in the mouth:

• Rinse your mouth with a mixture of warm water and salt. This helps create a protective seal that speeds up the healing process.
• Place a tea bag, green or black, on the wound or cut. This can help prevent infections.
• Place several drops of essential oils on the wound as it keeps it clean
• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water

Mouth wounds and cuts will quickly heal, but if you notice your injury isn’t healing or is extremely painful you may want to visit a dentist. Smiles by Shields, located in Jacksonville, Florida, is a holistic dental clinic that will gladly look at any mouth sore or cut you believe isn’t healing fast enough. Call our offices to schedule an appointment to have our holistic dentist look at your mouth injury and assess the situation.