Conversation: The conversation between human and AI assistant.
[|Human|] My 9 year old son had self dissolving stiches on his tongue 3 days ago. The cut has now opened up again, the stiches seem to be gone. Does he need proper stiches or will the cut heal itself, and if so, how long does that take. He only had stiches 1 week after the accident, as the first doctor seen thought it would heal itself
[|AI|]  Hello and welcome to Chat Doctor. Toungue cuts(lacerations) are very commonly encountered in clinical practice. Unless it is deep stitching is avoided by most doctors. Firstly because a stitch in itself is a risk and source of infection. Secondly healing in this area is very fast due to moisture, rich blood supply and flexibility. So my advice is to leave the cut alone. It will heal on its own.Meanwhile, avoid giving hard spicy or sour food to your child. Try to give soft food like mashed potatoes, bananas, noodles and ice creams. Hope you find this answer satisfactory. Good luck.