Tongue piercing may seem like a cool idea for many young people. However, before you go to a tattoo parlor or piercing studio, it does not hurt to consider the possible problems and negative consequences that may arise with the oral cavity as a result of this seemingly trifling procedure. Tongue piercings most often result in mouth discomfort, excessive salivation, but sometimes cause serious oral infections, including tooth loss.
Possible Complications
Below we will consider the main disadvantages of tongue piercing for the oral cavity. All the listed consequences of this procedure are not a "rare exception", but on the contrary, they appear in most cases.
- Infection. Believe it or not, an unimaginable amount of bacteria accumulates in the oral cavity. As a result of their vital activity, a tumor and inflammation can develop at the puncture site, and an infection can occur. If not treated immediately, the infection can become life threatening. Another possibly unexpected complication is swelling of the tongue. A swollen tongue can block the airway and cause choking.
- Damage to teeth and gums. People who like to bite and play with piercings risk damaging and weakening their gums. Weakened gums eventually lead to loosening and loss of teeth. In addition, this addiction sometimes leads to cracks in tooth enamel, damage to fillings, especially if a person has sensitive enamel. One study found that nearly half of people with a ball-shaped tongue jewel that has been in their mouth for four plus years have at least one chipped tooth.
- Allergic reactions. People who are particularly sensitive to metals are at risk of developing allergies due to piercings.
- Numbness. Sometimes after a tongue piercing, people experience numbness caused by nerve damage. Fortunately, this complication is temporary, but in rare cases it does not go away. Nerve damage can make mouth movements difficult and affect the sense of taste.
- Increased salivation. Tongue piercing leads to excessive salivation, impaired diction, difficulty chewing and swallowing food.
- Difficult to x-ray teeth. Piercings can make dental examination difficult because the jewelry blocks or distorts x-rays. As a result, you have to “reshoot” several times in order to achieve a good image.
We take active steps
If you still want to get your tongue pierced (despite all of the above risks), you should take some proactive steps to find the best place to get pierced.
First, talk to friends and family members for advice or salon recommendations. Then check the studios and make sure they are reasonably sterile. Feel free to ask the salon staff about their methods of sterilizing rooms and tools, whether they use disposable gloves. Also find out if employees have medical books, vaccinations, including against hepatitis B.
After the piercing is done, see your doctor or dentist right away, especially if there is a hint of infection or symptoms such as swelling, pain, fever, chills, red streaks all over the tongue.
For daily care, rinse your mouth after every snack to keep the puncture site clean. Also, avoid pressing on the jewelry, watch your movements carefully while talking and chewing food. In addition, do not be lazy to periodically check the reliability and integrity of your jewelry so that the separated part does not cause suffocation. This is especially true for people involved in contact sports.
