Side Effects of Tongue Piercing

Tongue piercing can lead to side effects such as bacterial infections, excessive bleeding, nerve damage, dental damage, kelloid, allergic reaction and severe pain. Tongue piercing is cool to have but it is also necessary to take enough precautions to avoid suffering the negative effects of tongue piercing.

A case in point is a study quoted in the British Dental Journal where a healthy 19-year old girl collapses after attending a party and the reason ascertained is serious tongue piercing infection done few hours before attending a party where she collapses. In 2005, The Telegraph also mentions an instance in which a teenage boy succumbs to blood poisoning after lip piercing.

Avoid such or worse kind of situations by knowing these six side effects and take precaution/s in advance.

6 Side Effects of Tongue Piercing

1) Gum Problems- The tongue barbells placed after the piercing can cause problems to the gums because of repetitive rubbing of the barbells with the tongue or the inner side of the tongue. In severe cases, the damage has to be surgically corrected.

2) Severe Infection- Tongue is one of the organs which when cut can cause profuse bleeding. Further, the mouth is full of bacteria and if the piercing process is not carefully executed, it can cause severe infection, cause the area to become swollen and in some cases, it has to be surgically cured.

3) Neuralgia- The American Medical Association reports a case in which a girl experiences stabbing pain lasting 10 to 30 seconds about 30 times a day. No amount of medication helps. Finally, the doctors remove the metal stud from the pierced tongue and within two days, she is perfectly fine. This is a classic case of neuralgia, also known as "suicide disease".

During the piercing process, the nerves surrounding the area can be ruptured without the knowledge of both the parties and later, it causes problems like the reported case. Hence, it is important to get the piercing done from an experienced and knowledgeable person to avoid neuralgia.

4) Getting Stuck- If the barbell is not properly setup, it can dislodge itself and wind down the bronchial pipes and get stuck in intestines. If the person is lucky, the barbell can be flushed through bowel movement but as medical cases have shown, it has to be operated and removed.

5) Risk of HIV or Hepatitis- Any kind of body art should be done with gloves and sterilized instruments. It is worth every penny to visit a reputed clinic to get piercing done. Use of unsterilized instruments can cause HIV or Hepatitis.

6) Oral Cancer- Tongue swelling, speech impediment, deep cyst and nerve damages are some of the symptoms of oral cancer. Oral cancer can happen because of drugs, smoking and unhygienic piercing methods. In extreme cases, a condition of endocarditis may also develop. Endocarditis is a condition in which the bacterium enters the blood stream and the heart valves get irreparably damaged.