What Happens If You Swallow a Tongue Ring?

Stay calm if you swallow your tongue ring.

If you have recently swallowed your tongue ring, stay calm. Many people have swallowed odd objects and been perfectly fine. Stressing yourself about it will only place additional trauma on your digestive system.

A Journey Through Your Digestive System

If the tongue ring clears your wind pipe, allowing you to breathe, it will pass through your intestines and stomach as normal food would. However, you body will not be able to digest the tongue ring. In a matter of days, the piercing should pass completely through your body. Check your stool on a regular basis until you notice the ring.

Punctured Organs

There is a chance that the tongue ring may puncture your internal organs as it passes through, however this is extremely rare. If you feel discomfort as you wait to pass the ring, visit the ER or your family doctor for an X-ray. If anything is wrong, your doctor will detect it and be able to take care of you.

Surgical Options

If the piercing has caused internal injury, your doctor may decide to extract the object through surgery. This, however, is truly the worse case scenario. Remember to stay calm, and your piercing should pass in a matter of days.

References

• Drugs: Foreign Body Ingestion.
• CYH: Swallowed Objects.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish