Along with tattoos, piercing is one of the most popular types of body decoration. More and more people choose original earrings for piercing different places, especially the tongue. To know everything about tongue piercing, read this article carefully and then make your final decision.

Tongue piercing: pros and cons

There is nothing new in placing ornaments on the tongue. It was practiced even in ancient times for a symbolic or religious purpose.

Today, tongue piercings are used to make an impression on others, to express one’s individuality, originality, and to diversify one’s image. It is difficult to judge its attractiveness — there are both supporters and staunch opponents.

Among the advantages of piercings and tongue piercings, many people mention vivid sensations during kissing and sex.

Thanks to new technologies, the procedure is relatively painless. One or two energetic movements — that’s it. You no longer need to stick your tongue between potato slices at home or apply ice from the freezer to make it less painful.

Now you can not be afraid of the appearance of allergies after piercing, because most of the jewelry used is made of surgical steel or other non-allergenic metal alloys. But before deciding on a tongue piercing, the pros and cons should be carefully weighed.

Experienced piercers claim that a correctly installed earring of the right size should not harm the teeth. But they do not deny that such an ornament can cause or aggravate already existing problems with the gums. If symptoms such as redness of the gums, visible gradual opening of the teeth, pain and increased sensitivity occur, the earring should be removed as soon as possible.

Dentists are sounding the alarm: more and more people with tongue piercings are turning to them with numerous damage to the tooth enamel (especially upper and lower incisors) and rapidly progressing gum recession (exposure of tooth roots). These are difficult to treat diseases of the oral cavity that require large financial costs.

The consequences of a tongue piercing are very dangerous for people with hemophilia and other blood clotting disorders — a high risk of bleeding that will be difficult to stop. Another important contraindication is bacterial skin diseases (infection with staphylococcus, streptococcus). During the procedure, these bacteria can enter the bloodstream and infect the entire body. Some people may have an allergic reaction to metals that are part of jewelry alloys.

Ear piercing in the tongue: side effects and consequences

• Chips and cracks on the teeth — contact of the tooth with metal can damage enamel, fillings and crowns;

• gum injuries — jewelry can damage the soft tissues of the gums. The teeth become more exposed, look unattractive, and the root of the tooth is more prone to caries, diseases and infections;

• infections — the human oral cavity is home to millions of bacteria and microbes. After piercing, they have direct access to blood. The risk increases if you often touch the earring with your fingers;

• pain and swelling — after surgery, the tongue will recover in a few days. This cannot be avoided. In extreme cases, swelling of the tongue and difficulty breathing may occur;

• prolonged bleeding that is difficult to stop — a blood vessel may be punctured when the tongue is pierced;

• diseases transmitted through blood — according to the WHO, piercing can be a factor in the transmission of hepatitis B, C, D and G;

• endocarditis — piercing facilitates the entry of bacteria in the mouth into the bloodstream and heart.

When wearing an earring on the tongue, you need to pay attention to any changes, inflammation, pain (especially teeth). In case of problems, you should immediately consult a doctor.

How to pierce the tongue

This is one of the most difficult and dangerous procedures. The main disadvantages of incorrect insertion of a tongue piercing are bleeding on the tongue or nerve paralysis. Two large arteries and many nerves pass through the tongue.

Piercing requires delicacy, precision, great experience and manual labor. It consists in piercing the marked place with the thickness of a needle from the leg of a thorn (it is a sharp element), and then correctly placing an earring in it.

Before piercing the tongue, first disinfect the skin around the piercing site, mark the injection site and, holding the tongue with tweezers, pierce it.

There is a risk of infection transmitted through unsterilized skin piercing tools with body piercings. If strict hygiene rules are not followed in the salon, you can get infected with hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus, HIV or staphylococcus.

After a tongue piercing, the piercing site may swell in the first days. It heals in about 1-5 weeks. Even if the earring takes root, it is necessary to constantly monitor that it does not damage the tooth enamel.

Since the tongue is a very sensitive place, you need to be very careful when inserting an earring there. During the first week after the procedure, you cannot consume alcohol, caffeine, sugar, dairy products, and products containing salt.

Food in the form of puree and juice through a straw is recommended. This will minimize possible irritation. After eating something, you need to rinse your mouth with an antibacterial liquid, chamomile or sage. During the healing period of the tongue, you should not kiss, as this can cause infection.

The area around the earring is very difficult to clean. As a result, food residues may remain there, which can lead to the development of infection, especially in a wound after a recent operation. First, you need to thoroughly clean the area of ​​the earring (remove it and clean the piercing site with a special brush with soft bristles). Antibacterial mouthwash or saline should be used regularly. Sage or chamomile rinses are also suitable, they have soothing properties. Without these actions, the tongue can quickly become infected and swollen.

All about tongue piercing: how to choose an earring

There are many options of tongue earrings of different sizes and colors on the market. You can buy them yourself. Their appearance depends on the location of the puncture.

A barbell is the most common decoration for a vertical piercing. It fits perfectly and quickly takes root in the wound. But segmental and spherical rings, bananas, horseshoes, and spirals are also used.

Half rings with a tip bead are used for side piercings and bridles.

An earring that is too long or hooked can cause problems with the health of the oral cavity. Its length should be from 16 to 22 mm. If the size is too small, the earring will put a lot of pressure on the wound or grow into the skin. Fasteners should be smooth.

Masters recommend choosing the first earring from titanium, surgical steel or other biocompatible metal. This ensures that it will not be torn off by the body like any other foreign body. It should not contain nickel, which is a common allergen.

After the piercing is healed, you can choose a more beautiful piercing earring made of medical gold or silver in the Silvers online store and order it with delivery within Ukraine.