This reduces the risk of accidentally introducing additional bacteria to the site. The swelling tends to increase for several days after the piercing, and it may last for a week or slightly longer. The wound may also bleed or ooze. A small amount of bleeding is normal, but consistent bleeding may signal a problem. After a few days, the wound may also ooze a whitish or clear fluid. When the swelling decreases, replace the jewelry with a shorter piece of jewelry.
Leaving longer jewelry in place increases irritation and may damage the teeth. It is safest to have a piercer do this. Before touching the piercing, always wash the hands thoroughly and only use sterile, new jewelry intended for the tongue. Piercings heal from the outside in, which means that the outermost tissue of the tongue heals first. This means that while the piercing may look less irritated, it is actually still healing for a month or longer.
By this stage in the healing process, it should have become less painful and will start to feel relatively normal. However, a person may still need time to adapt to the piercing. Tongues heal quickly, which means that the piercing may close if a person removes the jewelry, even for a short period of time. If there are no complications, complete healing usually takes around 4—6 weeks.
If there is still swelling after a month, or if the piercing becomes painful or swollen after a period of seeming fine, this may signal an infection or other problem.
After a few months, the body treats the piercing as a scar, and the piercing is less likely to close without jewelry in it. The risk of infection also greatly decreases. However, people with poor oral hygiene, weak immune systems, and mouth injuries may still be vulnerable to infection. Tongue piercings can also increase the risk of oral health problems, including infected gums and teeth.
A tongue bar, particularly a large or heavy one, may knock into the teeth. This may lead to broken teeth, infections in the gums or teeth, and similar oral health problems. The most significant risk associated with a tongue piercing is that the wound will become infected shortly after the piercing. Most infections are mild, however, and a doctor can easily treat them with oral antibiotics.
In rare cases , a person might develop a more serious infection, such as an abscess. This would require them to stay in the hospital or receive intravenous antibiotics. In some cases, the body can reject a piercing, which can lead to further complications. Learn more about piercing rejections here. Most tongue piercings do not require special treatments or medications. This activation unit is attached to the tongue as the upper ball of a piercing Figure 1 , and it activates a given sensor in the sensor pad whenever it is positioned by the tongue at a specific sensor.
The induced activation signals are further processed and interpreted by the embedded electronics and sent wirelessly to an external unit to control the respective disability aids.
A combination of induced signals from adjacent sensors makes it possible to continuously detect the position of the activation unit when gliding along the pad surface. Extended functionality has been obtained with both sensor pads when typing text e. A visual feedback continuously assists the user by showing the position of the activation unit when using the system which greatly improves the sensor activation and reduces the false activation rate.
The text input results of our system at rates between 1. These results may be much improved with longer training periods providing a better knowledge of the system and thereby improved user reaction time. Healthy subjects already accustomed to a cosmetic piercing of the tongue have been able to control the system from the first day in a surprising manner.
Furthermore, in a study using a previous version of the system, induced cortical plasticity has been shown after a short period of training suggesting that the ability to perform specific tongue movements may be improved[ 16 ].
Alternative interfaces allow text input at rates of A speech recognition technique promises up to wpm and a brain computer interface 12 cwpm[ 1 ]. Thus, the overall functionality of our tongue control system has shown promising results. Furthermore, subjects have evaluated the tongue control system as easy to use and wear, and cosmetically acceptable.
The tongue piercing plays a vital role as the activation unit of the tongue control system. The word piercing is commonly used in connection with cosmetic body piercings involving the piercing of the human skin or mucosa and preparation of a duct in the underlying tissue with a sharp instrument followed by the insertion of a metal or composite ring or stud.
Oral piercings mainly consist of two types: 1 a barbell consisting of a rod with a removable ball in each end or, 2 a labret consisting of a rod with a fixed disc at one end and a removable ball at the other end. The procedure of a cosmetic piercing insertion is usually not associated with medical procedures, and piercings are most often performed under unregulated circumstances in, e.
The literature is sparse on information about piercing equipment, procedures and the magnitude of the discomfort of the procedure as well as during the healing period.
Since subjects eligible for tongue control systems are mostly tetraplegics, who are susceptible individuals with comorbidity such as decreased respiratory capacity and airway reflexes, the tongue piercing may pose an additional risk, thus demanding a safe and tolerable procedure.
This paper describes a clinical technique developed for the insertion of a titanium barbell into the tongue including its safety precautions and complications. In addition, the discomfort perceived by the subjects during the procedure and the healing period was also evaluated.
The study was aimed at subjects suffering from tetraplegia with various clinical backgrounds such as muscle dystrophy, cerebral palsy or spinal cord injury. The subjects were to have a good control of their tongue as well as normal cognitive skills and a high motivation for the study. Exclusion criteria were pregnancy, heart disease or other medical problems assessed to contraindicate the surgical procedure as well as a subsequent period of tests of the tongue control system.
Patients with cognitive impairments as well as dental problems that could interfere with the study were also excluded. Four tetraplegic subjects volunteered for this study. Two of these subjects suffered from previous traumatic injury of the spinal cord, one subject suffered from medullar compression due to a benign medullar glioma, and one subject suffered from childhood meningitis affecting the medulla.
All four subjects were paralyzed from the neck, but exerted full normal control of the tongue with unaltered speech and normal cognitive skills. All subjects were able to use alternative assistant devices. The participation of the volunteers included the piercing procedure as well as the course of subsequent experiments with regard to learning its usage in the tongue control system.
Information about participation was given both in writing and by oral explanation, and informed written consent including the publication of the individual study results was obtained from all subjects.
The overall study period comprised the initial period related to the insertion procedure of the piercing including a four week healing period and subsequently a four month experimental period where a series of performance tests were completed. Data related to these tests have been presented elsewhere[ 15 ]. Prior to the study period an oral examination was performed to obtain the dental status of each participant.
Similarly, a second oral examination was performed at the end of the study period. The rod had a diameter of 1. The piercing rods and balls were delivered from Star Piercing Company in Sweden together with documentation of the metal composition.
A surgical instrument kit was composed including two needle holders to fixate the piercing rod and fasten the metal balls.
The holders were slightly modified forming a small bowl-shaped depression in their branches for an enhanced grip of the round surface of the balls Figure 2 items A. Further, the kit included a set of tongue holding forceps Foerster Ballinger forceps as a mean of fixating the tongue. In order to reduce the pressure on the tongue, its branches were slightly adjusted making a 5 mm free space available when the forceps were closed Figure 2 item B.
Moreover, a pair of scissors was included Figure 2 item C. All parts were cleaned in an ultrasonic bath, packed in sterilization pouches, and autoclaved in a dental vacuum autoclave. The participants were introduced to the surgical procedure prior to the actual insertion of the piercing, and local anesthesia of the tongue was offered by means of a bilateral blockage of the n.
In order to create the best possible function of the activation unit, the entry point of piercing of the tongue was placed as near to the tip of the tongue as possible. However, an insertion too close to the tip would enhance the risk of drifting of the rod towards the periphery of the tongue and ultimately rejection of the piercing.
The compromise was an insertion at around 20 mm from the tip of the tongue. Since the tongue is highly vascularized and contains large veins, especially in its inferior surface, bleeding was a considerable risk.
Consequently, these veins should be observed and avoided during the penetration of the tissue Figure 3. Relatively large blood vessel vein in the midline of the tongue written consent for publication of this photo was obtained from the participant. At the insertion of the piercing, the tip of the tongue was held firmly with the tongue holder and a piece of cloth. Thus, a midline translingual canal could be prepared by penetrating the tongue with the canula of the venflon Figure 4 A.
The canula was surrounded by a thin plastic tube. After the withdrawal of the canula and cutting off the valve section, a 30—40 mm piece of this plastic tube was left inside the tongue tissue Figure 4 B. This plastic tube subsequently served as a guide canal to insert the piercing rod, and the rod with the ball attached at one end was easily introduced through the plastic tube Figure 4 C. Finally, the plastic tube was removed and the second ball was screwed onto the rod and tightened by the needle holder Figure 4 D.
The piercing procedure: A Penetration of the tongue from the upside by the Venflon needle; B After removal of the needle, the plastic tube remains in situ while the valve section is cut off and discharged; C The metal rod is guided through the tissue by means of the plastic tube; D The balls are tigthened onto the rod of the piercing by a needle holder while holding the tongue with the forceps; E Relaxed tongue muscles immidiately after the insertion, where the piercing is loosely attachted to the tongue; and F Contraction of the tongue muscles causes the piercing to become more firmly embedded written consent for publication of these photos was obtained from the participant.
It was expected that the tongue would swell during the first days due to a reactive edema related to the tissue trauma of the procedure. Therefore, a longer piercing rod approx. Finally, the subjects were instructed to rinse the tongue by means of a 0. The discomfort perceived by the participants was evaluated by a mm Visual Analog Scale VAS having a linear score between 0 for no pain and 10 for the most intense pain imaginable.
The participants ticked on the horizontal line equal to their perception[ 24 — 26 ]. The primary concern of the participants was pain, and thus, before the actual surgical procedure the participants were given a questionnaire regarding their expected perception of pain.
In addition, the rating was performed immediately after the surgery and again two hours later. No data were collected regarding the perception of discomfort from local anesthetics since all participants declined this option. The participants scaled these modalities of discomfort once daily.
Moreover, they were encouraged to note any additional complaints as well as other relevant events during the course of the piercing. All participants declined the option of local anesthesia of the tongue since the discomfort of bilateral injections was considered larger than of the piercing itself.
The insertion of the piercing was successfully performed in all four subjects as the procedure was simple and fast, and in each case completed in less than five minutes.
The venflon system provided an excellent tool to both form the tissue canal and supplying a guiding tube for the titanium rod. No cases of bleeding or other acute complications were encountered. Swelling of the tongue was found in one subject only on the day after surgery where the tongue generally gained 5 mm in thickness for about 24 hours. The swelling was so moderate that the speech was unaffected and there was no embedding of the balls.
Moreover, no cases of infection or injuries to the gingival mucosa were found. During surgery no problems were encountered as to assemble the piercing rod and balls. However, during the healing period there was a tendency towards loosening of the balls, and in three cases a ball was lost at various points during the healing period. In one case the ball dropped out of the mouth several weeks later.
This particular ball is thought to have been lodged in the piriform sinus. The pain experienced during the piercing procedure was in three cases lower and in one case higher than the expected pain. In all cases, the pain was lower after 2 hours than expected before the piercing procedure Figure 5. Expected pain, perceived pain and post-surgical pain two hours after surgery 10 cm VAS scale. The individual results from the four participants during the healing period have been displayed in Figures 6 , 7 , 8 , and 9.
In general, the results showed that after the 5 th day the problems with pain, sense of taste and speech had almost disappeared. Further, the problems with hitting the teeth with the balls had also diminished. However, in one case with higher complaints of hitting the teeth, the piercing had to be changed at day 5, which resulted in increased pain level during the next two days Figure 6 ; in another case the same complaints remained at a relatively high level during the 10 day period Figure 9.
There were no additional complaints reported by the participants during the course of the piercing. At day 6 the piercing was changed 10 cm VAS scale. A medical tongue piercing technique has not previously been described or evaluated in the literature. This paper describes a new technique which is fast, safe and tolerable to the participants.
Thus, the discomfort perceived during the procedure was of milder nature and comparable with pain from injections, and very few minor complications were recorded which is in contrast to the literature where oral piercings are often connected with discomfort and complications[ 20 , 26 — 34 ]. The tools of the surgical kit including their modifications proved efficient for the purpose.
Further, the usage of the venflon system served as an excellent utensil for the insertion of the piercing rod. Altogether this provided a rapid procedure which was completed in a few minutes. Thus, limited mechanical manipulation of the tongue was needed which is likely to have reduced any post-procedural formation of reactive swelling or edema.
In all 4 subjects a rod length of 20 mm was eventually chosen which gave a leeway allowing some post-procedural swelling. At the insertion of the piercing rod, 8—10 mm of extra length compared to the thickness of the tongue was chosen. Even if everyone you know had a tongue piercing, there are so many possibilities of placement, jewelry choice, and style that yours would still be completely personal to you.
Tongue Piercings. Healing time: A tongue piercing heals fairly quickly, taking anywhere from four to eight weeks. A tongue piercing is any body modification that involves piercing a piece of jewelry through the tongue. The most common is the midline piercing, a vertical piercing involving a needle going straight through at one point from top to bottom in the center of the tongue.
More creative tongue piercings, like the snake eyes piercing—a horizontal tongue piercing toward the top of the tongue that looks like a snake head—exist as well however, according to piercer Cozmo Faris, this is a very unsafe piercing that will most likely result in permanent muscle, nerve, and tooth damage.
The frenulum piercing is a horizontal piercing of the web of skin beneath the tongue. A venom piercing is a vertical piercing on each side of the tongue. A surface piercing—also the least common type of tongue piercing—is a horizontal piercing with a curved barbell. Basically, any possible arrangement of a vertical or horizontal piercing is possible on the tongue.
The way a tongue is pierced involves clamping the appendage with forceps to hold the tissue. Then, a needle— typically a 14 gauge, says Dohoney—is pushed through the tongue to create the actual piercing.
The jewelry is pushed through behind the needle to complete the piercing process. However, no piercing is without pain. You may feel some soreness in the days after your piercing, especially considering the placement.
Fortunately, tongue piercings tend to heal quickly, taking anywhere from four to eight weeks, according to Dr. Erum Ilyas, President and founder of Montgomery Dermatology. Bear in mind, though, that horizontal piercings will take longer than vertical ones. With the constant movement of the two muscles that have been forcefully stuck together, it makes it incredibly difficult to heal.
At the minimum, you should wash your mouth out two to three times a day with a sea salt rinse or non-alcohol mouthwash.
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