Tongue Piercing Infection

Body piercing, which had a lot of cultural significance in the earlier days, has become a fad among youngsters today. Though among the different types of body piercing, ear piercing and nose piercing are the most popular ones, tongue piecing is slowly gaining lot of popularity. Most youngsters go for tongue piercing because it signifies breaking the rules and asserting something that is different from normal. There are also people who choose tongue piercing to rebel against their parents. Apart from this, there are some people opt for tongue piercing for increased sexual pleasure. However, there are many cases where the tongue piercing has gone wrong, leading to tongue piercing infection and complications.

Infection from Tongue Piercing

Tongue piercing is made on the tip of the tongue by a barbell. As the mouth is full of bacteria, any mistake while piercing can cause the bacteria to enter into the blood, giving rise to various infections.

The presence of a metal object on the tongue can cause problems with its normal activities like talking and eating. Moreover, the metal constantly comes in contact with the teeth, leading to the damage of the teeth as well as the teeth enamel. Tongue piercing can also cause problems to the gums and sometimes even lead to mouth ulcers.

Apart from these tongue piercing infections, some other serious piercing infections include endocarditis and Ludwig's angina. Endocarditis occurs when the blood is infected by the bacteria which leads to the weakening of the heart valves. On the other hand, Ludwig's angina is when swelling appears on the floor of the mouth and jaw, so much so that it becomes difficult for the person to breathe.

HIV and hepatitis are also said to be infections caused due to tongue piercings. Many times, due to lack of money, people visit those who do piercings at cheap rates. However, they may not be sterilizing the piercing instruments properly, and due to this there is a high risk of getting affected by these diseases.

Signs of a Tongue Piercing Infection

Many times, people ignore these infections considering it to be quite normal during the healing period. However, it is important for every person who is thinking of doing a tongue piercing to know about the signs of tongue piercing infections. Let us look at some of the signs of a tongue piercing infection.

• It is said that the first sign of tongue piercing infection is a swollen tongue. It is usual for the person who gets his tongue pierced to experience some kind of swelling around the tongue area. However, this does not stay for a long time and the swelling subsides within a week's time. Nevertheless, if the swelling does not go away or reappears after the piercing is healed, this is surely the case of infection and should be given immediate attention and treatment.
• Apart from the swollen tongue, another sign of tongue piercing infection is redness around the pierced area. It is also likely for the person to experience immense pain as well as swelling in the same area. However, if the infection is very bad, there are chances for bleeding to occur. Though it is common to experience bleeding for a few days after the piercing is done, if it continues for more than this period of time, it should be taken very seriously.
• One of the tongue piercing infection signs is discharge of yellow or green color pus from the area of the tongue which is pierced. The reason for this occurrence can be said to be improper aftercare, and if such things occur, it is likely that the infection is in an advanced stage and needs to be treated as soon as possible.

To avoid any tongue piercing infection, it is necessary to gather relevant information about tongue piercings. It is absolutely essential to do the tongue piercing from a reputed piercer who would take the appropriate precautions before doing the piercing. So research well about the piercer, about the techniques and material he uses. Also, the metal used for piercing the tongue should be surgical grade stainless steel. After the piercing is done, it is extremely crucial to follow the guidelines of the piercer about tongue piercing aftercare. People who are opting for lip and tongue piercings, or in fact any kind of other such piercing should understand that though getting a tongue piercing may make them unique and stand out in the crowd, nothing is more important than one's life and good health.