getting one's teeth brushed and cleaned is imperative to eliminating the two diseases we address in dentistry: caries (cavities) and periodontitis (gum and bone disease). if the teeth are not cleaned one is certain to lose teeth from those two diseases. piercing one's tongue is not a good idea. the infection in the tongue piercing is a result of bacteria that is present in our mouth regardless of cleaning one's teeth. cleaning the teeth only lowers the bacterial count in the mouth and will help the healing of the tongue. it is a wound just like any other. keeping it clean is best. not cleaning your mouth will only exacerbate the infection.
does getting your teeth cleaned disrupt your normal oral flora and expose you to infection during a tongue piercing?