Pediatric Dentist Talks About the Effects of Tongue Piercing

If your teenager is badgering you about a tongue piercing, our pediatric dentist at Kids Dental near Tulsa OK and Broken Arrow OK has some information that you need to know before you give the go ahead. Tongue piercing can be dangerous to your child's overall oral health. Sharing the information with your child may help to open their eyes to the dangers.

What Are the Effects?

Tongue piercing infection is not the only problem on the list of potential problems you need to know about. There is a range of issues that both you and your child should be aware of:

• Severe pain and swelling that does not go away
• Broken, chipped teeth
• Problems with speech develop
• Permanent never damage can occur
• Spreading infection
• Gum recession is possible
• Other negative side effects

The tongue is not meant to be pierced. Unlike the ear lobe that serves very little function, the tongue is charged with a host of duties from helping you to chew your food, to annunciating words, to keep debris out of your throat. The myriad of negative side effects ranges from very common (chipped teeth, speech problems, discomfort) to the not so common (gum recession, inviting gum disease, wide spreading infection). The piercing itself is very painful and the tongue swells from the trauma. A swollen tongue can block the airway.

Our Advice

Don't allow your teenager to pierce their tongue. As a matter of fact, as an adult tongue piercing should be off limits if you want to keep your oral health in good shape. As your child's dentist we can have a frank discussion with them about the dangers of tongue piercing and how just finding another way to express themselves may be the better option. Contact us to learn more!