Kids can get cuts on their lips, tongue, cheeks, or gums, or on the roof of their mouth. Cuts in the mouth usually heal on their own in 3–5 days. Here's how to keep your child comfortable while a cut heals.

General care:

• For bleeding of the lip, put slight pressure on the lip with a cloth or gauze.
• For bleeding inside the mouth, kids who are over 1 year old can suck on an ice pop or ice chips.
• For pain:
  • Kids over 1 year old can suck on an ice pop or ice chips.
  • If your health care provider says it's OK, you can give your child acetaminophen (Tylenol^® or a store brand) or ibuprofen (Advil^®, Motrin^®, or a store brand) as needed for pain. Don’t give ibuprofen to babies under 6 months old. Follow the directions on the label for how much to give and how often.
• Remind your child not to pick or chew at any scabs that form.

Diet, for 3–5 days:

• Encourage your child to drink so they stay hydrated. It's OK if they don't want to eat as much as usual.
• Offer soft foods like oatmeal, mashed potatoes, or applesauce.
• Avoid: 
  • Crunchy foods that could scratch the mouth or make crumbs (like crackers or pretzels)
  • Salty, spicy, or citrus foods that sting the cut (like tomato sauce, hot sauce, and oranges)
• Sucking can make the cut bleed more. For older kids, drinking from a cup (without a straw) may help. Babies should continue to breastfeed or drink from a bottle as usual. Afterward, you might notice a little bleeding, which should stop after a minute or two. 
• If thumb-sucking or using a pacifier is making the cut bleed, try to distract your child so they don't want to suck their thumb as much. Try to offer the pacifier less often.

Keep the mouth clean:

• Give your child water after snacks and meals. 
• If your child is old enough to rinse and spit, add a small amount of salt to the water (½ tsp. salt in 1 cup water) and have them rinse after eating.
• Brush the teeth as usual. Help your child avoid the area around the cut.

• The cut is not starting to heal within a few days.
• The cut or the area around it is red, swollen, or very painful.
• Your child gets a fever.
• Your child isn't drinking at all or seems dehydrated. Signs include a dry or sticky mouth, sunken eyes, making less pee or darker than usual pee, or crying with little or no tears.

Why does a cut in the mouth bleed so much? Cuts in the mouth bleed a lot because because the area has so many blood vessels. Even small cuts in the mouth can bleed a lot. 

How does a cut in the mouth heal? While a cut in the mouth heals, it may develop a white scab. But most cuts in the mouth heal completely and don't leave a scar.