Your tongue is vulnerable on any given day. It’s easy to get used to the taste of your food and ignore the tingling, burning sensation that comes with it. But once in a while, your tongue will lose its battle against your tastebuds and you’ll end up feeling like giving up. When this happens, it can feel like there’s no going back. You still want to eat dessert, because who doesn’t? But when you do, don’t make the mistake of thinking that it doesn’t hurt afterward. This next anecdote is one that all of my patients—and their family members—can relate to: A patient had a pretty serious bout with food poisoning after eating pineapple for the first time. It almost felt like having a sternum76 reunion with my advice for treating a sore throat as soon as possible: Refrain from eating anything with a sharp edge or pits (like pineapples). However, now that I think about it, it would have been nice if she could have avoided ingesting the toxins in her well-meaning attempt at home cooking. She ended up in the emergency room where they ran an advanced X-ray machine after she complained of blurry vision and intense burning pain on her palate … which was immediately followed by numbness and tingling in her tongue … which was followed by… hmmm … yeah… right.
How to Stop Tongue Pain After Eating Pineapple
1. Use the right utensils:
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t eat pineapple, because they are delicious. But if you are going to eat pineapple, make sure that you use the right utensils so that you don’t have to worry about irritating your tongue. If your fork is sharp, it will do more harm than good.
2. Eat slowly:
Once again, eating pineapple isn’t going to kill you—unless, of course, it happens to be contaminated with bacteria or fungi (or other toxins). It just needs to be eaten slowly and carefully so that those little pieces of pineapples don’t end up touching your tongue and causing it pain.
3. Don’t forget about dessert:
If there is one thing that I am glad about when it comes to this patient’s case, is the fact that she didn’t give up on her dessert cravings after being in pain from eating pineapple. She could have easily gone for something else instead, but she didn’t. Instead of giving up on her favorite dessert after experiencing first-hand how bad a tongue burn can be, she found a way around it and saved herself from potential consequences down the line… like a lot of pain in her mouth (and elsewhere). So remember this next time you find yourself in a similar situation: Don’t give up on your favorite desserts just because they hurt your tongue!
4. Avoid pineapple for a few days:
If you want to eat pineapple, then by all means do so. But if you are going to eat it, then avoid eating it for a few days and see if your tongue will stop feeling pain after eating it. The reason why I say this is because some people’s tongues don’t get used to the acidity of pineapple after just one serving. It can take multiple servings before they get used to the acidity, which is why I suggest avoiding it for a few days before trying again.
5. Try something else:
This may not be the most popular suggestion but I would rather see people try something else when they experience pain after eating pineapple than give up on their favorite desserts altogether. So what are some alternatives that you can try? If you love pineapples then maybe you should try another type of citrus fruit like oranges or lemons instead or even berries like strawberries and raspberries (which are also very delicious). Or better yet, try fruit salad that has a variety of fruits in it instead of just one type of fruit—it will definitely taste better!
6. Increase the acidity of your pineapple:
If you are feeling pain after eating pineapple, then one way to potentially fix this is to increase its acidity of it. You can do this by adding a little bit of lemon or lime juice to it before eating it (or maybe even some vinegar). This will make the pineapple a bit more acidic and therefore cause your tongue less pain when you eat it. It’s not guaranteed to work but at least it’s worth a shot!
7. Add some sweetener:
It may sound strange, but adding some sweetener (like honey) will also help reduce the pain of eating pineapple in my opinion. The reason why I say this is because pineapples are already sweet in their own right, so adding something else sweet should help balance out the sweetness even more and make the taste sweeter overall without making your tongue hurt as much!
What’s the Cause of Tongue Pain?
1. Acidic Foods:
Sometimes eating acidic foods can cause your tongue to hurt, especially if you eat them too often. When this happens, you should take a break from eating acidic foods for a few days before trying them again.
2. Dry Mouth:
Having a dry mouth can also cause your tongue to hurt when you eat certain types of food. This is because the dryness of your mouth can cause some irritation on your tongue, which in turn causes pain when you eat certain types of food.
3. Poor Oral Hygiene:
If you have poor oral hygiene then it’s possible that there is something stuck in between the ridges of your tongue or on the sides of it that has caused the pain. There are many things that could be stuck there and it’s important to try and get rid of them as soon as possible because they can cause other problems like infections and even cavities later down the road! So make sure you brush thoroughly with a soft toothbrush and rinse very well after brushing to reduce any chances of getting an infection or cavity!
4. Food Allergies:
There are a lot of people who have allergic reactions to certain types of food, and if you are one of those people then it is possible that your tongue is hurting because of this. If this is the case, then you should try and figure out which foods are causing this reaction and get rid of them from your diet!
What you can do to treat tongue pain?
Drink water:
One of the best ways to treat tongue pain is to drink plenty of water. This is because water can help cleanse your mouth and get rid of any irritants that may be causing the pain.
Gargle with warm salt water:
If you have a sore throat then gargling with warm salt water can help reduce the pain and inflammation in that area, which in turn should help reduce any tongue pain as well!
Eat pineapple:
Pineapple contains bromelain which is a very effective anti-inflammatory agent, so eating it should help reduce some of your tongue pain as well!
Chew ice chips:
Chewing on ice chips can help reduce the pain and swelling in your mouth, which again should help reduce any tongue pain that you may be experiencing as well!
Use a cold compress:
If you’re experiencing a lot of swelling in your mouth then using a cold compress on your face and neck could help reduce some of the swelling, which in turn should help reduce any tongue pain that you may be experiencing as well!
Use over-the-counter pain relievers:
If you have tongue pain that is causing you a lot of discomfort, then using some over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help reduce that discomfort and make your life a lot easier!
See a doctor:
If your tongue pain is severe or doesn’t go away after trying the above-mentioned remedies, then it’s important to see a doctor determine what’s causing your pain and how to treat it!
Bottom line
Tongue pain is a common condition and can be difficult to treat. The best way to treat it is to avoid causing the problem in the first place. If you’re experiencing tongue pain, it’s important to remember that it’s normal and that there are effective ways to treat it. If your tongue is twitching or burning and you’re experiencing other symptoms such as frequent headaches, difficulty swallowing or blurred or double vision, it’s important to see your doctor. If your tongue pain is accompanied by other symptoms, such as a runny nose or headache, it’s most likely a result of a condition, not a cause for concern. In that case, you should discuss your symptoms with your doctor and see if there’s anything he or she can treat. See a doctor if you have persistent tongue pain. This pain can be painful to experience, but it’s also a cause of concern as it may be a sign of a serious condition.
