Risks
In general, the risk of complications is significantly increased by the incorrect procedure when pricking or nursing. The tongue is traversed by many different nerve fibres. These include nerves that serve to move the muscles of the tongue; these come from the twelfth cranial nerve, the “hypoglossal nerve”.
Furthermore, there are sensitive nerves that transmit signals of tactile, warmth and pain sensation. These belong to the fifth “trigeminal nerve” and the ninth cranial nerve “glossopharyngeal nerve”. The third type of nerve is the sensory part of the tongue, which is responsible for the sense of taste.These are parts of the seventh cranial nerve “facial nerve“, the ninth cranial nerve “glossopharyngeal nerve” and the tenth cranial nerve “vagus nerve“.
If one of these nerve cords is damaged when the tongue is pierced, specific failure symptoms occur. This can lead to muscle paralysis in a part of the tongue, numbness or impaired taste. In the latter case, the strength of a flavor, such as sweet, can be reduced, or in the worst case even completely lost.
It must be said, however, that nerve damage in general is rather rare. By engaging an experienced piercer and stinging in the middle of the tongue, the risk is significantly reduced. A further complication with the stinging can be the injury of a blood vessel.
These are very numerous in the well supplied with blood tongue. These include the base artery of the tongue (Arteria profunda linguae) and the sublingual artery (Arteria sublingualis), which draw their inflow from the lingual artery (Arteria linguae). The latter is a branch from the external carotid artery.
Most of the outflow takes place via the “Vena linguae”. Gum injuries and excessive salivation are also frequently observed. However, these phenomena (symptoms) usually subside during – or at the latest with the end of the healing process.
Since the piercing represents a foreign body, which the wearer is not used to, at least in the beginning, it can lead to speech disorders, for example lisping. Very often this is not a long-term problem. Some piercing wearers tend to play with the ball of the piercing.
They hold it with their front teeth and/or suck on it. Thereby it can come to a displacement of the teeth. If the ball is made of metal this can lead to damage of the enamel, because the ball is harder than the enamel.
The result can be sensitivity to heat or cold and even caries. The risk of this can be significantly reduced by using a plastic ball, which is softer than the enamel. The pin should also have a suitable length.
If it is too long, the teeth can also be damaged. If it is too short, there is a risk that the ball will grow into the tongue. Many dentists advise against tongue piercing, because it endangers teeth and gums.
In addition, the puncture increases the probability of infection enormously. If one is nevertheless a carrier of a piercing one should go to regular dental examinations, so that the dentist can remove the tongue piercing at first signs of damage of teeth and/or gums. Besides the cosmetic component the tongue piercing is now also used for medical purposes.
Researchers from the USA have developed a piercing with which paraplegics can control an electric wheelchair. Furthermore the danger of an allergy against the metal of the piercing exists. Thereby the body produces antibodies against the triggering substance and starts an inflammation process around the piercing.
In this case the piercing must be removed immediately. Titanium however is a metal, which does not cause allergies and therefore enjoys great popularity. Also a piercing made of plastic is supposed to solve this problem and besides it is also less risky compared to teeth and gums.
Because when piercing the tongue the mucous membrane of the tongue and thus the body?s own barrier to the environment is broken, pathogens have a good possibility to penetrate the body. Here, even – otherwise harmless – microorganisms, such as those of our own oral flora, pose a considerable risk of infection. These can then spread and affect the respiratory tract, brain and other organs, which can have a serious course under certain circumstances.
The most common pathogens are Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, or streptococci. If, for example, the latter enter the bloodstream via damaged oral mucosa, they can cause endocarditis lenta, an inflammation of the inner lining of the heart. In the healing phase following the stinging, pain and swelling often occur, which can have a strong influence on everyday life.
In the worst case, the swelling can be so severe that the airways are blocked. If necessary, artificial respiration by intubation – the insertion of a tube into the windpipe – or a tracheotomy – an artificial access to the windpipe – may be necessary.
