You know the feeling, you bite into a freshly cooked bit of pizza and a piece of tomato that is roughly the same temperature as the surface of the Sun attaches itself to the roof of your mouth – you spend the next couple of days regretting the fact that you could not wait 5-10 minutes to stuff your face. Now there is a solution, in the form of dissolving oral strips that bear a lot in common with the breath strips that you have probably used at one time or another.

The burn strips, which are applied directly to the burn are said to ease discomfort by “providing instant relief and promoting healing.” The strips were developed by Jason McConville and colleagues from University of Texas at Austin. McConville explained:

We found these strips to be non-toxic, which has huge potential for anyone who burns their mouth while eating and drinking hot foods–and that’s just about everyone,” said McConville. “The strips look and behave similar to breath freshening strips that you might find at your local drugstore.

McConville has since moved on to the University of New Mexico where he and his team are researching a stronger oral strip that should be able to treat burns that last longer than 2-3 days. From there, the team will move onto human trials and begin experimenting with flavors.

Personally, I am all for this new technology, especially if it enables me to get in early and grab an extra slice. [Source via Geekologie]