White build up under tongue ring

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Saturday October 11th, 2008 @ 7:25 AM

Filed under: Tongue

I’ve had my tongue pierced for almost three years, but recently (beginning 6 mo. ago) I’ve noticed a white, solid build up on the underside of my tongue ring, around where the acrylic ball hits my tongue. I am an oral hygiene freak, and I brush the underside of my tongue, but this is still happening with various balls I’ve tried. I can chip away the white stuff when I take it off, but I’ve found it eats away at the acrylic a little (or the force just chips it). Is this a health problem or am I just being too cheap with the quality of my jewelry?

The calciform deposits on the jewellery you describe are quite normal in tongue piercings. Acrylic isn’t the best quality and as you’ve discovered isn’t that great to clean. It is also cheap so if you want to stick with it, just replace the balls with new ones at regular intervals. There is a suggestion that acrylic can leach toxins over time (I’m sure Warren can interject here) so replacing it frequently would be a good idea anyway. Other than that, with titanium or steel balls, you can drop them into a cup of vinegar which will make removing the depostis easier.

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