Questions

Broken_Wingz

I've been considering getting my tongue pierced for about two years now and I've been talked out of it because my mom had decided to get her friend who works at a dentist to tell me horror stories about what can happen....gross...but I still want to get it done and I really don't care what happened to other people with bad oral hygiene, although I'm still concerned. So here are the questions I have.

-How likely is it that a tongue piercing will get infected?
-How likely is it that I'll damage my teeth?
-Is it really THAT hard to eat once you get it done?
-Is swelling usually really bad or about the same as a normal piercing?

Gauge

- About as likely as any other piercing. Tongue piercings heal quickly, so as long as you rinse your mouth out well with mouthwash/salt water while it's healing, you'll be grand.
- There's a risk. First you'll have a long bar which is VERY easy to bite down on, so you need to have it changed when the swelling goes down. If it's pierced well it won't rub on your teeth or gums, and you need to avoid playing with it. You can get smaller balls or flatter ones to cut down on the risk too.
- Yeah, it hurts and your tongue is swollen. Stock up on soup and soft foods. The first day is pretty bad, it gets better before you even know it though. If you're hungry enough you'll find a way to eat!
- Swelling varies. My tongue swelled a bit but didn't affect my speech, some people get a lisp. Drink cold water, especially before bed (you dehydrate overnight which makes for a swollen tongue in the morning), suck on some ice, pop an ibuprofen if it really bothers you.

I kind of want to hear some of these nasty stories your dentist told you Any good ones?

Broken_Wingz

At first she had told me that a guy had shattered his back molars...I wasn't completely convinced because it kinda sounds unlikely, I mean, chipping, sure...shattering....I dunno, but it sounded really gross because she said the roots got infected and when they went to do the procedure there was blood gushing everywhere...*shrugs*

THEN there was the guy who had his tongue get infected....he needed surgery and it got so bad they thought it wasn't going to help....uhm...what?

I didn't completely believe her due to the fact she's a pathological liar and a bit psycho...but she went to such great detail with the oozing and the whatever else comes with terrible infections I was concerned..but....I take care of my mouth, I brush my teeth, and I'm not a crack addict whose teeth are just waiting to fall out...she said it didn't matter, but I think in a way...it kinda does...infections don't get as bad as she was trying to claim if you take care of the problem....*mumbles* oh well...it was a way to talk me out of wanting it...I think it kinda worked but more along the lines made me not want to eat lunch.

Bex81

Id love to get mine done too, have done for years. But I went into a guy in Galway who told me my network of nerves was too strong on my tongue or something and that I could be paralysed by piercing it. Obviously I kinda went off the idea. But then the same guy told me he couldnt do that piece of ear that sticks out above your earlobe (dunno what its called) cos mine was too small - but I had that done in Oz last year with no hassle. I wonder should I try someone else or should I believe this guy? How likely is it that you might paralyse your tongue by piercing it?