Do you have an infected tongue piercing? What are some of the signs that can reveal an infection? Get insight causes, treatments and much more.
Causes
Why is my tongue piercing infected? Is it that I do not care for it well? Here are the main reasons or causes and they include:
Poor oral hygiene
Our mouth is the host of
many bacteria where some are symbiotically beneficial while some are pathogens that cause diseases. Poor oral hygiene encourages the buildup of bacteria and other microorganisms that may affect the piercing and consequently one will have an infection.
Unqualified piercer
When you intend to get one your tongue, you should go for a professional piercer so as he or she can perform a successful piercing. People who are not qualified, they can perform the procedure under dirty conditions or using unsterilized equipment’s that can lead to this problem.
Injuries
The tongue suffers from some injuries after piercing. This may cause excessive bleeding, hinder healing process, in turn, creating a condition favorable for disease-causing germs to infect the area around the piercing.
Improper aftercare instructions
In most cases, we fail to follow the procedures that are required after piercing making the site or region to be infected. Some of the steps require to adhere are; avoid unnecessary touching at the pierced site especially with dirty hands, wash your hands using antibacterial soap with clean water before touching the area during cleaning. Also, follow all the instructions given by your piercer.
Signs and symptoms
How do you tell that your tongue piercing is infected? Here are the most common symptoms to expect:
Discharge
Pus can seep from the infected piercing area on the tongue since pus discharge is a common bodily discharge when your tongue pierced is infected. However, a small amount of clear discharge may be ok but pus will indicate the presence of an infection on the tongue.
To be specific, an infection is likely with yellow drainage. Green drainage is a serious condition and requires immediate medical attention, according to Body-Jewelry-U-Seek, a Website devoted to body piercings and tattoos.
Prolonged Bleeding
Having a continuous bleeding in most cases is a serious condition on tongue since it is highly vascularized with the blood vessel. A very small amount of bleeding may occur after the initial piercing, yet continuous bleeding is a sign something is wrong.
Tenderness
You will experience a tender feeling when you touch the pierced region. You may feel a throbbing sensation radiating the pierced area and the tongue may swell. If the swelling continues, then it and throat can obstruct the airway. This swelling indicates something is wrong and therefore, you should consult a medical specialist.
Fever
A change in body temperature from the normal to higher or lower levels can happen few days after performing tongue piercing. For example, a severe infection may have a low-grade fever, and a mild infection may have a high fever—according to The Mayo Clinic.
Discoloration
If there is a change in color of the tongue to colors such as green, orange or purple or yellowish tongue. This will suggest that you not only have an infection but the infection is severe. Consult your doctor right away after experience discolorations.
Piercing site and tongue redness
Due to the infection or bleeding, the tongue may start to go red. This is yet another sign of infection, which occurs due to inflammation and intense pain at the site of the piercing. A little redness may occur just after the process but prolonged redness is also a sign of infection.
Swollen lymph nodes
Lymph nodes will swelling near the affected organ and for this those near to your tongue. This may cause difficulties in swallowing food, speaking and when moving your neck.
Red streaks
They usually radiate from the piercing hole, covering the lateral sides and the front of the tongue indicating a sign of infection.
Pictures
These few pictures will assist us to understand various signs. By carefully looking at these images, you should be able to tell if you have a similar problem or not.
Infected tongue treatment and remedies
Although the piercing wound should heal by its own within 6 to 8 weeks, some of the people having their tongue pierced experience unexpected infection disrupting the healing process. Therefore, their treatment and care include:
- Avoid taking off the stud off by yourself, as this may worsen the infection and cause unnecessary drainage and bleeding.
- Observe proper oral hygiene.
- Taking oral antibiotics
- Dissolve one tablespoon of sea salt in a glass of warm water and rinse your mouth thoroughly with this mixture at least three to four times per day.
Dangers and risks
The risk associated with infections include:
- A swollen tongue can make it hard for you to breathe. In some people with heart disease, bacteria can lead to a condition that can damage your heart valves.
- The piercing also can put you at risk for bleeding and blood loss.
- The jewelry can cause issues as well. It can break off in your mouth and make you choke. You can chip your teeth on it while you eat, sleep, talk, or chew on it.
- lead to an allergic reaction to the metal in the jewelry
- Make you drool.
- Make it hard for your dentist to take an X-ray of your teeth
