Tongue piercing some information needed.?

Question

Hi I'm 14 and I might get a tongue piercing. I want to know:

1.) Pros/cons

2.) Pain rate it 1-10

3.) How rare is it to get it infected

4.) Can you kiss after it is healed and everything

5.) Health risk

6.) Swelling and food? How long?

7.) Any other information you can provide

Btw I don't care if you say it's a gross thing to do and you'll look bad because I want a tongue piercing for ME. Not doing it for YOU. It's MY decision.

Answer 1

I agree with all the above answers.  Let me add that mine swelled up like a golfball and stayed that way for a couple weeks.  And during that whole time it hurt like a mother!!  I am not trying to talk you out of anything.  Just be prepared.

One more VERY important thing.  Whatever you do, DO NOT get in the habit of playing with it.  People who do that come off as being attention seeking and childish.  Not to mention annoying the pants off of everyone areound you, especially your friends who around you often.  If you are indeed doing this for yourself, and I believe you are, keep it in your mouth!

Answer 2

1) Pros - looks hot. lots of fun to play with haha, i've only had it since may this year and i still can't stop playing with it. like sliding it along your teeth and stuff.

Cons - because i played with it too much especially during the healing period i actually stretched the hole a little bit... so if you look closely it's a slit now and not just a hole. not very pretty.

2) for me it did not hurt at all. i actually had a topical anaesthetic injected with a fine needle, so the ONLY pain i felt was getting injected under my tongue (the bottom hurts way more than top). there is a VERY strange sensation when the needle goes through, it's like piercing a piece of steak.

3) even though i've only had mine for 3 months, it's already been infected. i think i was smoking too much... but it's SO easy to heal. i just stopped smoking and rinsed with mouthwash every 10 minutes. but infections hurt like crazy and they sort of pus a bit and it tastes reeeal funky.

4) yes. never stopped me. make sure you wait the initial 2 weeks though, otherwise it HURTS.

5) haven't had any myself, i've only read in other places that if you get in a car accident or something and need a breathing tube inserted down your throat, it could get in the way and you could die because of it. but thats not such a likely situation...

6) my swelling lasted about 7 or 8 days. that's the minimum, because i looked after it really well. when it swells it's like a golf ball in your mouth, talking REALLY hurts in the first 2 or 3 days so don't talk, and you basically can't eat anything that involves moving your tongue... all i had was miso soup and Up N Go for 4 straight days, before i slowly got to eat yoghurt (can you believe even yoghurt hurts??) and mashed potato etc. after about 3 weeks you can go back to your normal eating habits

7) one thing in particular was swallowing tablets, i always used to confuse the top ball of my tongue piercing with the tablet i'm meant to swallow, so after i've swallowed it i still think it's in my mouth. this happened while i was eating too, i always thought there was still food in my mouth and i try to chew it and it HURTS. but after a while you get used to having a ball constantly in your mouth.

Answer 3

* comfortable: 3 days to 2 weeks

* Healing Time: 6 months

* Rinse frequently with warm salty water.

* Ask for your piercer's mobile phone number.

* Avoid putting anything dirty in your mouth and refrain from kissing and oral s*x during the healing phase.

It is best to change jewelry during the two weeks, but this is best done by a professional piercer. After that time it should be easy to change jewelry yourself.

Other Issues

Be aware that with tongue piercing, aspiration is a risk if the ball unscrews from the barbell and roles back down your throat into your windpipe. The ball may then lodge in your lungs. This is a medical emergency: Call an ambulance.

1. Infections are uncommon with tongue piercings. Avoid putting anything dirty into your mouth (e.g. chewing pens and fingernails).

2. Even though your mouth harbours more bacteria than any other part of your body, the washing action of your saliva and the enzymes it contains improves healing.

3. Refrain from kissing and oral s*x during the healing period.

4. Symptoms of infection include increased pain, increased redness and an increase in the amount and thickness of the discharge. The infected discharge is usually thick and yellow, green or grey and may have an unusual odour. Consult with your physician or piercer and do not remove the jewelry until you seek advice.

Expect to see white material collecting around the balls of your barbell. This is a sign of healing. Gently clean this material away with a soft toothbrush. Never use undiluted mouthwash or alcohol to clean your piercing. These will kill the healing flesh.

I advise against the use of mouthwashes such as Listerine. After several days of frequent use the tongue surface usually turns green or brown and looks decidedly unhealthy. Please just use plain salty water.

The first risk is blood loss. During the piercing procedure a barbell style stud is placed through the center of the tongue approximately an inch from the tip. The tongue has several major blood vessels running through it. If any of these vessels is severed it can cause a massive amount of blood loss that can be very difficult to control. Putting the stud in the correct location is very important to avoid hitting a blood vessel. A qualified piercer should be able to do this, however if a vessel is severed seek urgent medical treatment without delay.Even if a blood vessel is missed during the piercing procedure there is the possibility of permanent nerve damage. There are a lot of nerves in the tongue. A professional piercer should be able to miss them, however if they are damaged the result could be constant pain, drooling, or a tongue that does not work properly when speaking or eating.Infection can be deadly. Generally the mouth has a lot of bacteria living inside, however infection can also be caused through eating, sharing utensils, talking, smoking or kissing. Infection can cause blood poisoning or an abscess that can quickly travel to the brain. Therefore if infection is suspected seek immediate medical treatment. Good oral hygiene is essential to a trouble free healing period, however the risks cannot be eliminated.Having a loose metal object in your mouth can chip teeth, damage tooth enamel and cause both gum recession and smelly breath. Crowns, fillings, false teeth and gum surgery can be expensive, painful and unattractive. Many wearers of tongue studs habitually bite or bang the stud against their teeth and gums. It is essential to avoid doing this at all costs. Once the healing period is over it may be beneficial to remove the stud during sleeping.If the barbell becomes loose there is a real risk of swallowing or inhaling the stud. If swallowed, the bar can become lodged in the intestine or bowel, rupturing the tissue lining. If inhaled, it can get sucked into the lungs or stuck in the windpipe. It might be possible to cough the stud up, however the worse case scenario would be major chest surgery to have the stud removed. Many oral piercings heal without injury or damage. However many health professionals in the medical and dental sectors believe the risk of damage, infection and death are too high for a medically unnecessary procedure.On the other hand, teenagers think tongue studs are cool and rebellious! But is the price of fashion and peer pressure really worth it? It is therefore advisable to carefully consider and weigh the risks first. If the decision is to get pierced then use a professional piercer, practice high oral hygiene, and ensure studs do not come into contact with teeth and gums. By following this advice the risks associated with tongue piercings can be dramatically reduced and sometimes eliminated.In addition to periodontal diseases (serious bacterial infections that destroy the attachment fibers and supporting bone that hold your teeth in your mouth) tongue piercing may cause other complications such as tongue swelling, difficulties with chewing, swallowing and speech, increase of saliva flow, localized tissue overgrowth and metal hypersensitivity.In the case of tongue piercing, as an example, people may see that someone lost feeling in their tongue because of a botched piercing. A while later, they read that someone had a brain abscess, most likely caused from a tongue piercing. One thing leads to another, and the public comes to the conclusion that these piercings are very dangerous to get, and certainly outweigh any reason to get one. For most people it ends there.large build-ups of scar tissue, "suicide disease," permanent nerve damage and fatal toxic shock syndrome. If that's not enough to scare you away, you'll notice that you could bleed excessively, develop speech problems, experience serious swelling, and or chip teeth. Sounds dangerous. some people who get a tongue piercing end up getting scar tissue on the tongue. This will result in a bump on the tongue around the piercing. In some cases, it can get quite large, and if you have ever heard of a “second tongue” because of a tongue piercing, this is what they are referring to.

Answer 4

1. Pro = looks cool. Con = could deter people from hiring you.

2. Pain: the actual piercing was probably a 5. Really not bad at all. The healing process was more of a 7, just because it was a pain in the ***.

3. I've never heard of infection, but people definitely swell (sometimes HUGE) for 1-2 weeks. I personally did not swell up much at all and was able to speak right away. That is not common.

4. After it's healed, you can do anything you did before - except blow bubbles, which takes practice. :)

5. Health risk - I've heard about chipped teeth and some others, but I've had mine 10 years and have yet to have any issues.

6. Swelling varies, but I'd count on a week. I kept mine from swelling by constantly drinking slurpees. Food is really REALLY hard to eat the first few times while you get used to using your tongue in a new way.

7. Some people have to have their tongues pierced closer to their teeth because of the way their tongue is. This causes a lisp. If you are one of those people who end up with a lisp, take the d**n thing out. It's silly.