Tongue Piercing Risks on Dental and Oral Health

Piercings used to be dominated by women, but now it is no longer a strange thing for men. Not only that, piercings that used to be only in the ear, now spread to other parts of the body that have cartilage or soft flesh, such as the nose, lips, eyebrows and tongue.

Some people do not realize the dangers of piercing in unusual places, it turns out to have health risks behind it. Moreover, if the piercing is done by someone who doesn’t have a medical background, they don’t have post treatment or post-piercing care to prevent infection.

Tongue Piercing and its Risks

Tongue piercing currently very popular yet very dangerous and have a high risk. Piercings often cause swelling and pain, resulting in difficulty eating and speaking. Swelling of the tongue occurs because there are many nerves on the tongue, it can also obstruct a person's airway. Nerve damage can result in persistent pain in the tongue, constant tingling and numbness of the tongue. Lack of nerve input to the brain can result in difficulty swallowing, chewing, and speaking as well as reduced the sense of taste (because taste sensors are located on the surface of the tongue). In addition, the tongue could be bitten more often.

Tongue piercing could lead to a dangerous infection, so if there is an open wound because of that, the bacteria that live in the oral cavity can cause severe infection. Good oral hygiene alone cannot guarantee that tongue piercings are infection-free, while mouthwash containing alcohol could make a burning sensation and irritation to the wound. Allergic reactions can occur if the piercing pairs are not made of pure metal. The tongue is a muscle that has many blood vessels that can cause bleeding, poisoning in the blood and blood clotting problems.  There are also large and medium blood vessels in the tongue that can exacerbate bleeding complications if there is a wound. The bacteria that normally lives in the oral cavity and the fact that the tongue never stops moving, slow down the healing process of the wound because of the tongue piercing.
Tongue and lip piercings can also affect teeth and gums. Teeth can easily crack and break due to metal earrings or a moving barbell in your mouth. This will increase the sensitivity of the tooth due to the opening of the nerves. The gums can be damaged due to the constant contact with the barbell, which may require gum treatment or even gum surgery. As it is known, the human mouth contains millions of bacteria, so that the hole in the area of ​​the piercing on the tongue will form a bacterial nest, that is where the bacteria have a great opportunity to flow with the blood and eventually cause severe infections, such as Ludwig angina and Endocarditis. Ludwig Angina is an acute infection caused by the Streptococcus bacteria, which infects the base of inner lining of the mouth, which is characterized by swelling that can block the airways. Endocarditis is an infection of the endocardium (inner lining of the heart) or inflammation.

Always consult your dental and oral health problems with the best dentists and dental clinics in Bali.

BIA Dental Center

Jl. Sunset Road No.86A, Seminyak, Badung, Bali Indonesia 80361.

+6282139396161