Tounge Piercing

[Princesserin777]

OKay i Got my tounge pierced about a year or so ago. I took it out and now I want to put it back in. I know that there is still a hole, becuase when i was my mouth out with listerine it stings still. But I just want to know becuase is it safe just to put it through?

 

[thistle]

Hi Princess and welcome to GP.

In answer to your question......

I honestly have no idea other than the fact that tongue peircing have to be treated very differently to others. I think the best thing you can do is to go to the peircer who did it for you and ask his opinion. At least he is (or should be) trained to know what to look for and will certainly be able to give you better advice than anyone on here could.

 

[Snowbaby]

How long has it been since you last had the tongue bar in?

If it were me, I'd try to put the bar in but DO NOT force it, don't put any pressure on it at all. If it doesn't go through easily and without pain, then no... don't! Deffo do what thisty said and go back to a pro piercer.


p.s.

to

 

[merisplit]

Do not just push it in! You don't know if the hole is still open totaly and maybe your hand will tremble and you won't put it straight back in. The tongue is full of ..well, I'm not an expert, but I think, nerves and you can harm them permanently. Also, you could get an infection. Let an expert do it, if you really do want your tongue pierced.

Jay L. Levy, DDS & the American Dental Association
Just Say No to Tongue Piercing
'Piercing may cause permanent numbness and/or paralyze the tongue if a nerve is injured... Levy calls a tongue pierce a "plaque trap" that can sabotage proper dental hygiene. "There is now an extra thing in the middle of the tongue that can collect food and plaque," he says.'

http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/trouble...ns/a/tongue.htm
Dr. Shari Welch, LDS Hospital
Article on ABC News.com
'As a result, doctors are starting to see more of body piercing’s dark side: Infections from dirty puncture wounds now happen in one out of every five piercings... An 18-year-old woman who came to the emergency room at LDS Hospital 15 months ago died from overwhelming infection caused by bacteria in a tongue piercing in her own mouth.'

 

[Snowbaby]

yikes!

my post was assuming the bar was completely sterilised - should have said that.

Good post there Mary, frightening huh? Tongue piercing has never appealed to me, too many blood vessels in there!

 

[merisplit]

Yeah, me neither...but I'm afraid of needles in any form..the only thing I have pierced are my ears...one hole in every ear..and that's as far as I go.
Also, I'm quite scared of bacterias, infections and in general, harming my body in any way...imagine having your tongue paralyzed? Yikes indeed!!

 

[bluestar]

I am a tattooist and I am subjected to these kinda things. (Though it is always best to talk to the person who actually performed the piercing)

The tounge is a muscle and if you puncture a muscle and let it heal, the hole will shrink if nothing is kept in it.

It was a wound. Just because you have a stinging sensation does not mean the hole is still there. Just as with any other scar, you will always be aware of its presence.

Chances are, you will need to have it repierced.

As far as the nerves and infections go, that all depends on WHO is doing it and WHO is taking care of it. You do have to treat a tounge piercing different than any other because of the fact it is in your mouth (food, bacteria, etc.) but as long as you do use good oral hygeine practice, the chance of infection is actually pretty small.

Tips on cleaning. Always use mouthwash (the blue kind is the most effective) AFTER the piercing has healed, be sure to brush your tongue along with your teeth (top and bottom) make sure you have cleaned the beads on the bar thoroughly. After you have done this a couple of times it will become habit.

I have had my tongue piercing for going on 7 years and have never had a problem with it.

Just make sure you keep going with a thorough mouth cleansing process every day.