Oral Piercings - What You Should Know

Piercing has been practiced in many cultures for many centuries. Body piercing was often identified with royalty and portrayed courage and virility. Egyptian pharaohs pierced their navels as a rite of passage. Roman soldiers pierced their nipples to show their manhood.

Oral piercings remain on the fringe of mainstream fashion, making the process appealing for individuals who want to make a statement or just think its cool!  Despite safety precautions and diligent care, piercing isn’t completely risk-free.

As with traditional earrings, oral piercings come in a variety of styles including rings, barbells, and studs. However, piercing your tongue, cheek, or lips involves a lot more risk than piercing your earlobes. We do get questions from patients at our office concerning these piercings. These patients have asked us if these oral piercings can affect their dental health in some way.

The most obvious oral health concern is infection. This is true of all piercings regardless where they are on the body, but related to dental health, oral piercings can increase risks of gum disease if they are not properly monitored. If your tongue piercing, lip piercing, medusa piercing, or other oral piercing comes in contact with your gums, this can cause irritation that may also lead to gum disease.

Mouth jewelry can crack or chip your teeth if you aren’t careful, so that is another concern to keep in mind. In a dental journal, a study found that approximately 47 percent of people who have a barbell tongue piercing will experience a chipped or cracked tooth within four years of getting that piercing. In some cases, a tongue piercing can cause you to salivate more than usual, which is a normal physiological response. While this is not a severe problem, it may affect your ability to speak as well as your ability to chew and swallow.

Before considering having any sort of oral piercing, take a few minutes to learn about the risks....

                    Infection: Our mouths are filled with zillions of bacteria, putting you at significant risk
                    for infection after an oral piercing.     
Prolonged Bleeding: Sometimes blood vessels are punctured by the needle during piercing which can result in serious blood loss.

Pain and Swelling: Both pain and swelling are typical side effects of oral piercings. In some extreme cases, the tongue can swell up so much that it can block your airway.

Chipped or Cracked Teeth: When a tooth makes contact with oral jewelry it can often lead to tooth damage.

Injury To Your Gums: Metal jewelry can injure your gum tissue and cause your gums to recede, putting you at greater risks of decay and gum disease, and leaving your mouth much less attractive.

Interference With Normal Oral Function: The presence of jewelry in your mouth can cause excessive saliva flow, make it more difficult to chew or swallow, and impede your ability to speak correctly.

Blood-borne Diseases: The National Institutes of Health have identified oral piercings as possible factors in transmitting hepatitis B, C, D, and G.

Endocarditis: The wound that is created from an oral piercing gives the bacteria in your mouth the opportunity to enter your bloodstream where they can travel to the heart, putting you at risk of endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart valves and tissues.
Because there are so many risks surrounding oral jewelry, even after the initial wound has healed, the safest decision you can make is to avoid oral piercings altogether. However, if you or a loved one has an oral piercing, make sure you come in and see us at the first sign of pain or trouble so that any potential ‘bigger’ problems can be avoided.

If you are you a parent with a child who may be considering oral piercing, we understand! Sometimes kids won’t listen to a parent, but they may listen to a healthcare professional. Don’t hesitate to contact our office if you feel like it would be appropriate. We’re here to help.