Bioflex, Bioplast and PTFE are all forms of soft plastics which are safe to wear in them.

I wear black PTFE in my lip piercing and monroe, so comfy.

But correct length of jewellery and placement are major factors in gum recession and tooth chipping, going to a really great piercer is your best bet.

They are huge problems yes, it's true, but only when they aren't done properly, when you LET THE PROBLEM GO TO FAR and when you don't do anything to prevent it.

ETA: If the jewellery is too long, if the placement isn't spot on etc, even soft jewellery will cause recession. It's up to you to decide whether it's worth the riks or not.

Look into Vertical labrets which do not have those problems, and imo are much more beautiful and aluring (and functional ) than standard lip piercings, I LOVE mine.

The lady piercer that I use will do a labret piercing, but tries to talk you out if it just because of the damage that can be done. A tongue piercing can damage your teeth if you bite down on a steel barbell with enough force to chip your teeth.

Yes like everyone else said, it depends on those factors, and also don't forget you can always get the piercing done, give it a go.. and if you see it's causing oral issues, you can always take it out, if it does end up starting to erode gums etc!

I no longer pierce tongues or labrets. To clarify, I will not put barbells inside the mouth. I just can't justify it to myself.

There is simply no way to ensure that teeth and gums will not be damaged. Period. Even if there was such a thing as "perfect placement" it would only serve to reduce the risk, not eliminate it.

And the problem I have is the risk. It's huge. No other piercings present so much risk. It's the kind of risk that can cost thousands of dollars to fix. Or more.

I'm just not cool with that.

thanks. this may have saved me from a mouth full of pain and ugly. oh but what about something smaller than a barbell such as a smiley?

thanks. this may have saved me from a mouth full of pain and ugly. oh but what about something smaller than a barbell such as a smiley ring?

oops..lol

How do you figure smileys are smaller? They are just as capable as any other oral piercing to cause problems.

^ They're actually more likely to cause gum issues, cause of them lying constantly and permanently against the gums. Ouch. >.<

Seriously, look up vertical labrets, I love mine to bits.

My tongue piercing doesn't seem to ever hit my teeth or gums unless I do it on purpose, and I never ever bite on the ball so the placement is good. When I visit the dentist every year or so I'll get him to do an xray however just to make sure everything is fine

After the swelling went down and I was all healed, I switched to a MUCH shorter post. I believe my bar is 1/2inch. I hardly every bite it, unless I'm doing so on purpose; it's just too short to get caught in my teeth. Also on the bottom where you can't see you can get a flat disk rather than a ball so there is less rubbing on the gums. Add to this a plastic piece and you should be good to go. Had mine pierced May 03 and no problems yet! (and since I go to the dentist on a fairly regular basis, if he notices gum or teeth issues, I can take it out before there is a real problem esthetically and financially)

Hope this helps!

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I wear a really short barbell in my tongue...I think its a 3/8" (definitely smaller than the standard 5/8"). I just started to wear bioplast in my monroe and it is heaven!