ORAL PIERCINGS – WHY NOT?
More and more people, including teenagers, have oral piercings involving the tongue, lips or cheeks. While such body art may seem innocent enough, it can be quite dangerous. The dental literature is replete with documented cases of oral piercings causing chipped or cracked teeth, infection, bleeding problems or other problems. The mouth is a relatively dirty environment containing millions of bacteria just looking for a place to infect. Your tongue is loaded with blood vessels, any of which can be damaged during the piercing leading to life-threatening bleeding. Your tongue could swell and interfere with your ability to breath. Nerves can be damaged during the piercing leading to life long numbness in that area. So follow our advice, as well as that of the American Dental Association, skip the mouth jewelry. However, if you are going to get oral piercings at least remove the jewelry during sporting events to reduce the incidence of trauma.
