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A lot of people gravitate towards acrylic tongue rings because they believe because the material is softer than metal, it will damage your teeth less. While this can be true, you need to be very careful with acrylic body jewelry. Because the acrylic is so soft, it can easily form micro cuts in the jewelry. This is a prime place to harbor bacteria that can cause an infection.
Aside from the risk of infection, acrylic is made of plastic. It’s generally recommended not to leave anything plastic in your body for over 24 hours. There’s also the chance that with an acrylic bar, you may be able to bite it hard enough to actually damage the jewelry, which could be a choking hazard or could even cut or hurt your mouth.
There does exist dental grade acrylic. This grade of acrylic is tougher than regular acrylic and will not experience any micro cuts that could harbor infection causing bacteria. In general, you shouldn’t need to worry about plastic leeching or biting parts of the jewelry off either. However, if you are going to try and find dental grade acrylic, make 100% sure you trust the store you’re buying it from. Sadly, things like grading are all too frequently lied about on body jewelry stores.
Are Acrylic Tongue Rings Better Than Metal?
Generally, metal is still better than acrylic for tongue rings. Acrylic is generally thought of as better for oral piercings because people associate the softer material with less tooth damage. However, the softer the material, in general the higher the risk for infection. Body jewelry should be completely smooth so bacteria can’t cling to the piece and breed there. The softer the jewelry, the more nicks will form in the piece.
A perfectly placed tongue piercing combined with a well fitted implant grade titanium tongue ring will experience very little tooth damage. The key here is to be pierced by a trusted piercer (preferably APP certified) so they will place your piercing in the best position. Your piercer will also fit you with a perfectly sized tongue ring once you are able to downsize, so you will not experience tooth damage.
Do Bioflex Tongue Rings Ruin Your Teeth?
Bioflex is frequently advertised as the solution to enamel chipping caused by oral piercings. Bioflex is very soft and would likely decrease the amount of chipping one would experience from a poorly placed piercing. The problem with Bioflex is it is so soft that it’s full of micro nicks that harbor bacteria. Arguably worse than that, Bioflex breaks down over time. And where does this broken down material go? Inside you.
Bioflex is never a recommended material for any body piercing. If you’re experiencing problems with enamel chipping, the problem is your piercing was either improperly placed, or your jewelry is the wrong size. Visit an APP certified piercer for help.
Conclusion
The best material for a tongue piercing is implant grade titanium. While other softer materials may seem like they would cause less tooth damage, they have the increased risk of infection as well as pose an issue of plastic leeching into you. A perfectly placed piercing that has been downsized to an appropriate size will experience very little, if any, tooth damage.
