Mon, 08/07/2006 - 12:49
I had my tongue piercing done 3 weeks ago this past Friday. The pain was not bad and swelling not bad either however on the second day i got the bar hooked on my bottom tooth and i think it may have torn a little.
There is no pain however at the bottom of my tongue there is a little white "mass" of tissue and also a little on the top right next to the bar. I still have the long bar in.
Is this normal and will it go away? The mass on top came off once with brushing but is back now. It has a little pink color to it.
I really like this piercing and want to keep it but am worried i may need to just take it out.
please help!
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You did not tell us what your aftercare is was. This can be helpful so please let us know what you are were doing?
The whitish mass you talk about is a normal part of this healing process. It is shed by the body during the first week of healing. If you pick at it or irritate the piercing, then it will continue to discharge. So please leave it alone and it will stop forming.
We also hope that you are NOT brushing your tongue because this only irritates the piercing further. Please just use regular hygiene practices at this point. You do not have to do anything at all your piercing anymore. The pink colour is blood because you are irritating the piercing.
If all the swelling has not dissipated, please wait one more week, and get a shorter shaft to relieve some of the problems that are caused by the longer barbell.
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I was at first using the original listerine about 4 times a day after i ate. It was so strong i stopped that and went to using the iodized sea salt soaks and just regular brushing after meals.
The swelling seems to be gone however in the center of my tongue it feels hard and somewhat raised where the piercing is. I have in a shorter bar now with the acryllic balls it feels much better but i am still worried because of that tissue.
I am afraid that the ball will settle down in my tongue or something. There is a little dip where the ball lays. I am just a little paranoid though, i have heard that with tongue piercings they do weird things.
Any advice would be really appreciated. thank you.
Part of the problem is that you used salt water and this does more damage than good. It irritates the tissues and this is part of your problem with the hard tissue is.
Are you still using salt water soaks? If so, please STOP! You no longer need to do anything to your piercing other than let the body heal itself.
Since you inserted a shorter barbell, this should help to get the rest of the swelling out of the tongue and the hard area will start to subside. Be patient!
We also would like to know what you mean by the statement "with tongue piercings they do weird things', could you please specify what you have heard.
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I actually stopped the salt soaks this past weekend.
Since i have kept the shorter barbell in the white mass has gone away. The only thing now is still the slight hardness in the middle of my tongue near the piercing site and where the ball is sitting there seems to be a "crater".
I am just leaving it alone other than my daily routine of brushing teeth after meals. I had read on other sites that tongue piercings may "lymph" and that the craters are normal and sometimes never go away. If you use too much mouthwash, it can even discolor your tongue. But I never really got the answer I was looking for so I do appreciate your responses to my questions.
I think it is doing better other than the little crater thing. Will that go away once completely healed and is that correct to just leave it alone now? again no sorness or anything just looks a little weird with the crater. It is not a deep one just where the ball is resting.
Thank you again
We are very happy that you are not using salt water anymore. Also, we are glad that the white mass has stopped. It is a sign that the piercing is healing properly.
As we have stated in the other responses, the body will start to deal with the crater now that you have stopped irritating the piercing. The crater is not normal and while you were irritating it, the crater will remain hard and raised. Now that you are leaving it alone, the body will deal with it in due time and it will dissipate and you should not have any more crater.
Another reason why someone may have a crater and not get rid of it, is because they are regularly irritating it by playing with it or still using harsh products that overclean or irritate it.
You made some statements that relate to over rinsing during the aftercare and if you rinse too much you can discolour your tongue. After the 3 weeks of aftercare, the rinsing is over and you are to return to your normal dental routine. The discolouration will disappear within a few days of returning to a regular routine.
We hope that we have answered your questions.
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