Toothpaste For Minor Burns?
I have been trying to focus on Alzheimer’s Disease for this month’s blog posts in an effort to join the activities of the Alzheimer’s Disease month. However, an incident this morning has prompted me to write something that is off topic. Indulge me, will you? 
So anyway, I was making lunch – pan fried slabs of yellow fin tuna. This stuff is really good, especially if you get the fish fresh from the market. So there I was happily pan frying the slabs when I lost my grip on one as I was turning it. unfortunately, some of the hot oil splashed on my left hand, burning the length of my index finger.
I immediately ran cold water over the burn as it hurt like anything and was quickly turning an angry red. After a few minutes, it still stung and was really bothering me so I turned to an age old remedy in my family – toothpaste. I spread – NOT RUBBED – some Colgate onto the burned area and almost immediately, the stinging sensation disappeared!
This made me think, did I do the right thing? Does toothpaste really work for minor burns? I looked it up on the Internet and found contradicting opinions. Some say that toothpaste should never be placed on burns while others highly recommend it.
I think that for minor burns that remain closed, toothpaste will work just fine. I can attest to that myself. However, I am almost certain that for second degree burns and burns that involve open wounds, toothpaste should never be used. What’s your opinion?
January 5, 2009 at 1:50 pm
hello.i have read this article so my opinion its right “TOOTH PASTE REALLY WORKS FOR MINOR BURNS”. i think minor burns remain closed when we used tooth paste. so tooth paste will work fine. i had already use this experiment myself. so i will suggest u to use this……..
January 5, 2009 at 1:52 pm
hello.i have read this article so my opinion its right “TOOTH PASTE REALLY WORKS FOR MINOR BURNS”. i think minor burns remain closed when we used tooth paste. so tooth paste will work fine. i had already use this experiment myself. so i will suggest u to use this…
June 16, 2009 at 12:40 pm
toothpaste worked for me on a minor burn. It stayed closed, healed faster, and dried the wound faster so it does not crack open again. its brilliant!
August 4, 2009 at 7:51 am
I received a painful steam burn on 3 fingers about 3 hours ago. The pain was horrible (I actually cried) until I put toothpaste on my fingers 1/2 hour ago. Now it’s tolerable and I can bend my fingers without pain.
September 19, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Ive just put my finger in ice after recieving burn from oil.. minor one though… its not even revlieving the pain :S… onthe internet people are saying u shud never do it.. but one of my friends said its an age-old remedy…hav i dont sumthing wrong :S.. im gonna apply sum colgate on it..
September 20, 2009 at 6:34 am
from WebMD: they say no b/c of sterility of the toothpaste.
Home Remedy No-No Number 3: Butter for a Burn
While you might be of the opinion that butter makes everything better, it’s important to remember that this rule applies to food, not burns.
“Butter might offer modest value for a burn by having a slight cooling effect, but it tends to melt due to body heat and there is a risk of infection because it’s not sterile,” says Robert Sheridan, MD, a surgeon in the burn units of Massachusetts General Hospital and Shriner’s Hospital for Children.
For mild to moderate first-degree burns and second-degree burns limited to an area no larger than 3 inches in diameter, Sheridan recommends an over-the-counter antibiotic burn ointment. Gently apply it to the burned skin, and keep it covered for cleanliness. You can also try ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help alleviate pain.
Cool tap water can also help, but only in the first minute after you’re burned, explains Sheridan. Any greater length of time and the damage is already done. If you’re near a faucet, run the burn under water for at least five minutes.
Other burn no-no’s: Toothpaste is a common home remedy that Sheridan often hears about in the burn unit, but again, it offers no benefit other than a slight cooling effect, and the same infection concerns apply. Also, while it might make sense to treat a burn with ice, it doesn’t help, and it could make matters worse.
“If a burn is deep enough, it can cause a loss of sensation around the wound,” says Sheridan. “So ice can compound the problem by adding frostbite to the burn because you can’t tell that it hurts.”
When should you call for help? If you’re worried about a burn; if you have a fever; if you have moderate to severe pain or no pain at all as a result of a third-degree burn; or if there is increasing redness around the wound.