Therapy

If a swelling of the palate occurs, the cause must first be sought. A swelling after surgery or after pulling a tooth must be treated differently than after taking an antibiotic tablet or an insect bite. Often the palate swells completely after a short period of time (e.g. after 1-2 days), making further treatment unnecessary.

However, if the swelling does not subside, a doctor must be consulted. This doctor will first try to remove the swelling with anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen etc. If this does not succeed, he will probably have an x-ray of the jaw to find the cause.

Another possibility of drug treatment is the administration of cortisone. The effect is fast, and the dose should be taken over a period of about one week, during which time the dosage should be reduced step by step. Palatal swelling that occurs after taking a drug should be treated quickly to prevent dangerous airway obstruction.

Cortisone or Fenistil® is also used here, usually in high doses and administered through the vein. Here, too, the improvement usually occurs quickly. In the following days, patients should then take cortisone in tablet form and reduce the dosage step by step.

In the case of harmless swelling of the palate, e.g. a cold or a burn from hot drinks or food, consistent cooling is often sufficient. This can be done with ice cream or cold water, which should be held in the mouth a few minutes before swallowing. In addition to the decongestant effect, these measures also have a soothing effect should there be pain in addition to the swelling.

A further measure to reduce the swelling of the palate is a short-term change in eating habits. Hard food should not be eaten and softer food should be eaten for one or two days. You can also try to speed up the swelling of the palate by gargling different solutions. A good medicinal plant that does this and is good for gargling is chamomile. Gargling should be done 2-3 times a day until the swelling of the palate has subsided.