# Doctors, Dentists, and Medical People--This is crazy, right? (tongue-piercing rumor)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-dentists-and-medical-people-this-is-crazy-right-tongue-piercing-rumor/139858>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 2, 2002, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-dentists-and-medical-people-this-is-crazy-right-tongue-piercing-rumor/139858 "2002-12-02T00:09:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-dentists-and-medical-people-this-is-crazy-right-tongue-piercing-rumor/139858/22 "2020-08-24T18:11:10Z")

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Safety aside, they’re way too reactive to cold and your fork and the coefficient of expansion of filling vs tooth enamel leads to a fair amount of discomfort and gapping over time. Much prefer the resin fillings, they both look and feel better.

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**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-dentists-and-medical-people-this-is-crazy-right-tongue-piercing-rumor/139858/23 "2020-08-25T10:06:16Z")

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My resin fillings all failed within 5 years. I had them replaced with amalgam.

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**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-dentists-and-medical-people-this-is-crazy-right-tongue-piercing-rumor/139858/24 "2020-08-25T16:53:23Z")

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I’m just the opposite.

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**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-dentists-and-medical-people-this-is-crazy-right-tongue-piercing-rumor/139858/25 "2020-08-25T17:06:17Z")

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> [@jackelope](#):
>
> Saliva is caustic? A quick Google search turns up the following:
> 
> > [@](#):
> >
> > The pH value of the saliva of a normal unaffected person is in the range 6.6 to 6.9, i.e. it is very slightly acidic.
> 
> Then again, I have no idea how reliable that [source](http://phosadd.com/character/pHtest.htm) is. (pH 7 is neutral; 0 is totally acidic, 15 totally alkaline.)

George Carlin: “The AMA announced today that swallowing saliva can cause stomach cancer, but only if swallowed in small quantities over a very long period of time.”

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