Negative Effects of Tongue Rings

Body piercing is considered by some to be an art form. Whether you agree or not, you should be informed about the potential dangers associated with the practice. Tongue rings can be especially problematic because they're placed in a sensitive area of the body, the mouth.

Speech Impediments

• After you get a tongue ring, speaking will be more difficult. It might take you a few days to learn how to speak properly with a piece of metal through your tongue. Temporary speech impediments associated with tongue rings usually occur because of the numbness and pain you may incur after the piercing. Tongue rings may affect your speech in the long term by causing you to have a lisp when pronouncing words with "s" sounds because of the way the tongue hits the back of the teeth.

Infection

• Have your piercing done at a reputable and highly sanitary shop. The piercing equipment needs to be thoroughly sterilized between every piercing, or you run the risk of being infected with Hepatitis B, C, D, G or even HIV. Even if the equipment is properly sterilized, your tongue may become infected if you're not diligent about cleaning your piercing every day. Infection may cause redness or swelling in your tongue, which can affect your breathing and ability to eat or speak comfortably.

Tooth Problems

• Because you have to move your tongue while you speak and eat, the stud of your piercing will come in contact with your teeth. This may result in broken or chipped teeth or could cause fillings to come loose.

Gum Problems

• The metal barbell stud of your piercing will frequently come in contact with your gum line, causing several potential issues to develop. One of them is periodontitis. This disease causes your teeth to become loose and possibly fall out because the inner layer of your gums begins separating from the bone and causes pockets to form along the gum line. Another issue you may experience is receding gums.