How to Remove a Tongue Stuck on Frozen Metal

Last Updated: February 16, 2022

Have you ever been unfortunate enough to get your tongue frozen to a metal pole? The solution to your predicament is not just to rip it off! Instead, you need to warm the metal pole enough to unfreeze your tongue. Without asking questions why this has even happened to you, there are several ways you can remove your tongue easily and painlessly.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Assessing Your Situation

1
Don't panic! The worst thing you can do is rip your tongue off the metal in a panic. This could give you a serious injury. Instead take a moment to think about your situation clearly. Assess whether you have someone near who can help you.
- If you have someone with you, make sure they know that you are not joking and that your tongue is really stuck.
2
Understand why your tongue it stuck to the metal. Basically, your tongue is stuck because your saliva is frozen solid. The reason this happens so quickly on metal, and not on other surfaces, is that metal is a great conductor. In order to unstick your tongue, you will need to warm up the metal above freezing temperature.
- When you make contact with the metal, it sucks the heat out of your saliva rapidly so that the surface it is in contact with becomes the same temperature, which is called thermal equilibrium. This happens so quickly that it doesn't give your body a chance to make up the difference in heat.^{[1]
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3
Make noise so someone can come to your aid. It will be easier to get your tongue unstuck if you have someone to help you. Once you get someone's attention, tell them to bring warm water and then have them pour it slowly over your tongue.
- Don't let embarrassment get in the way of getting help. Your situation may be embarrassing but it's better to deal with a little embarrassment than an injured tongue.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Separating Your Tongue From Frozen Metal

1
Use warm water on the tongue and metal.^{[2]
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Research source} Pour it slowly over your tongue, making sure to get the warm water in the area of contact between the metal and your tongue. This should raise the temperature of the metal, allowing your saliva to unfreeze.
- You also want to make sure that the water is not too hot. No need to add a burn on your tongue to your list of problems!
- Don't pour the water too fast. Pour it slowly and steadily, so that the warmth works its way into the frozen connection.
2
Use your free hands to gently free your tongue. If your tongue is only lightly frozen to the metal, you can gently pull it off. However, if this process begins to hurt your tongue, stop and find a different solution.
- Try to twist your tongue and pull it off; hopefully this will cause your tongue to become unstuck.
3
Breathe in deeply and then blow out hot air over your tongue. Let the hot air move out repeatedly until your tongue becomes unstuck. You may need to cuff your hands around your mouth, so that the hot air stays around your tongue.
- Do this multiple times until the metal warms up enough to unfreeze your tongue.

Expert Q&A

Question

What if all of that doesn't work?

Chris M. Matsko, MD
Family Medicine Physician
Dr. Chris M. Matsko is a retired physician based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With over 25 years of medical research experience, Dr. Matsko was awarded the Pittsburgh Cornell University Leadership Award for Excellence. He holds a BS in Nutritional Science from Cornell University and an MD from the Temple University School of Medicine in 2007. Dr. Matsko earned a Research Writing Certification from the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) in 2016 and a Medical Writing & Editing Certification from the University of Chicago in 2017.

Chris M. Matsko, MD

Family Medicine Physician

Expert Answer

Warm water will work to get the tongue stuck off of a frozen metal rod or poll.