Should you bifurcate your tongue?

You can learn a variety of things by reading the newspaper. This morning I read The Ethicist column in the NY Times and learned of a medical procedure called “tongue bifurcation.” I had never heard of this. it is a splitting of the tongue down the middle. People do this for a variety of reasons: creating a lizardlike appearance for patients who are interested in body modification, for other aesthetic reasons, to perform oral sex acts, to be able to realize their self-identity, etc.

The American Dental Association advises against tongue splitting, deeming it an invasive procedure “with negative health sequelae” — including severe bleeding, infection and nerve damage — “that outweigh any potential benefit.”