Tongue piercing

Infobox Piercing
name = Tongue piercing
nicknames =


image_size = 300px
location = Tongue
jewelry = Straight barbell
healing time = 4 to 6 weeks

A tongue piercing, a body piercing through the tongue, usually directly through its center, is one of most popular piercing sites in the western world, excluding the ear.

History and culture

Unreferencedsection|date=July 2008There is a history of ritual tongue piercing in both Aztec and Maya cultures, with illustrations of priests piercing their tongue and then either drawing blood from it or passing rough cords, designed to inflict pain, through the hole. There is no evidence of permanent or long term tongue piercing in Aztec culture, however, despite the practice of many other permanent body modifications.

Piercing the tongue has a long history in religious and performance practices. Mesoamericans such as the Aztecs practiced this as well as other perforations as a part of offerings to their deities. Islamic Fakirs and Sufis from the Middle East, and Asian Spirit Mediums of the Far East practiced tongue piercing as an offering and proof of trance state.

The reason for the central [ Aboriginal Australian ] holy man's practice of piercing the tongue remains unknown. From the turn of the 20th century, Western Carnies borrowed many of their sideshow tricks from fakirs bringing to American and European audiences their first glimpses of tongue piercing.

Permanent or long term piercing of the tongue is part of the resurgence of body piercing in contemporary society. The ready availability of high quality, surgical steel barbell style jewellery is associated with the emergence of this piercing in the 1980s. As with many piercing innovations, the origin of this piercing is associated with Gauntlet, the first professional body piercing studio in the United States, formerly located in Los Angeles, California. Elayne Angel, the first person awarded the Master Piercer's certificate by Jim Ward, body piercing pioneer and founder of Gauntlet, is commonly associated with the promotion and popularity of this piercing. Also note that the tongue ring is not gender specific, it was not created specifically for just a man or just a woman. Popular names for tongue piercing include "tongue ring", a misnomer, as only rarely are rings worn in tongue piercings.

Jewelry

Tongue piercings are most often pierced with straight barbell style jewelry. Due to the frequent movement of the tongue, jewelry size and comfort is especially important. Barbells that are too thin are prone to migration, causing discomfort and irritation. Tongue piercings can often be easily stretched to accommodate larger jewelry. The beads at the end of the barbell can be made of many decorative materials, including plastic, but the environment of the mouth can cause cracking and discoloration in the jewelry over time. "No-see-um beads", flat beads matching the color of the tongue, are sometimes worn to conceal this piercing, often in places of employment.

Procedure

The placement is marked and a clamp applied. Initial jewelry is usually longer than will ultimately be required, to allow for swelling, which is common following the piercing. Piercers often recommend drinking cold beverages and chewing on ice to help reduce the swelling.

Because of the tongue's exceptional healing ability, piercings can close very fast. Even completely healed holes can close up in a matter of minutes, and larger-gauged holes can close in just a few days. The length of time for the hole to heal varies greatly from person to person - some people with larger-gauged holes (greater than 2ga) can still fit jewelry (albeit smaller) in their piercing after months or even years.

Risks

There is a risk of heavy bleeding if a vein is hit. Some bleeding is normal, but a medical professional should be contacted if it cannot be controlled.

For this reason, oral piercings tend to actually heal faster (4-6 weeks) than many other piercings, which can take many months depending on location, as long as appropriate care to prevent infection is taken. Mouthwash is frequently used to diminish chances of infection. However, intra-oral ornament should be cleansed regularly to prevent the accumulation of bacterial plaque and calculus.cite journal |author=Zadik Yehuda, Becker Tal, Levin Liran |title=Intra-oral and peri-oral piercing |journal=J Isr Dent Assoc |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=29–34 |year=2007 |month=Jan |pmid=17615989 ]

The two most common long-term complications of intra-oral ornament are (1) dental fracture and wear,cite journal |author=Levin Liran, Zadik Yehuda, Becker Tal |title=Oral and dental complications of intra-oral piercing |journal=Dent Traumatol |volume=21 |issue=6 |pages=341-3 |year=2005 |month=Dec |pmid=16262620 |doi= |url=http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118672805/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 |accessdate=2008-07-16] affecting 14% to 41% of subjects with intra-oral ornaments and (2) recession of gingival tissue affecting 19% to 68% of subjects with intra-oral ornaments.cite journal |author=Levin Liran, Zadik Yehuda |title=Oral piercing: complications and side effects |journal=Am J Dent |volume=20 |issue=5 |pages=340-4 |year=2007 |month=Oct |pmid=17993034 |doi= ] In some cases, the alveolar tooth-bearing bone is also involved, jeopardizing the stability and durability of the teeth in place and required a periodontal regeneration surgery. [cite journal |author=Zadik Yehuda, Sandler Vadim |title=Periodontal attachment loss due to applying force by tongue piercing |journal=J Calif Dent Assoc ;35(8):550-3 |volume=35 |issue=8 |pages=550-3 |year=2007 |month=Aug |pmid=17941300 |doi= |url=http://www.cda.org/page/Library/cda_member/pubs/journal/jour0807/zadik.pdf |accessdate=2008-07-16] [cite journal |author=Levin Liran |title=Alveolar bone loss and gingival recession due to lip and tongue piercing |journal=N Y State Dent J |volume=73 |issue=4 |pages=48-50 |year=2007 |month=Jun |pmid=17891882 |doi= |url= |accessdate=2008-07-16] . Piercing of the tongue can be fatal. [cite journal |author=JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
title=Soldier's tongue piercing causes fatal infection |journal=The Jerusalem Post |year=2008 |month=September |url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017359881&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |accessdate=2008-09-28]

Health Risks reported by the ADA

1. Severe bleeding or nerve da

2. Infection: the mouth contains millions of bacteria, and bacterial infection is an uncommon complication from tongue piercing.

3. Pain: healing time prolonged.

4. Swelling: the tongue could swell large enough to close off the airway.

5. Disease transmission: The National Institutes of Health (www.nih.gov) has identified piercing in general as a possible vector for blood borne hepatitis (hepatitis B, C, D and G) transmission. In addition, there is risk of other disease transmission such as HIV.

6. Choking hazard: tongue jewelry could come loose in the mouth creating a choking hazard.

7. Chipped or cracked teeth: tongue jewelry can chip or crack the teeth.

8. Enamel loss: tongue jewelry can increase the risk of damage to teeth enamel.

9. Recessed gums: The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) has reported that tongue piercing increases the risk for recessed gums.

10. Tooth loss: The JADA has reported that tongue piercing increases the risk for loose teeth and tooth loss.

11. Scar tissue formation: thick scarring could form at the piercing site.

12. Speech Interference: tongue jewelry can interfere with speech.

Related piercings

An uncommon version of this piercing will be close to the tip of the tongue, and a captive bead ring may be worn in it. This placement and jewellery choice is uncommon because it is much more likely to cause discomfort and damage the teeth and gums.

Another uncommon version of this piercing is the tongue piercings referred to as Venoms. This piercing is two tongue piercings placed side by side.

The tongue frenulum piercing is a piercing through the frenulum underneath the tongue, known as the frenulum linguae, and commonly the tongue web piercing.Tongue Splitting and piercing:

References

ee also

*Body piercing
*Lip piercing
*Tongue frenulum piercing
*Toothache

External links

* [http://100years.cda-adc.ca/jadc/vol-64/issue-11/botchway-f.pdf Tongue Piercing and Associated Tooth Fracture]
* [http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EiD/vol8no8/01-0458.htm Haemophilus aphrophilus Endocarditis after Tongue Piercing]