Oral Piercing Hazards


Posted on 8/8/2022 by Thomas Wold, DMD
Oral Piercing HazardsOral piercing has become normal in our daily lives, for ourselves or others we might know. Nowadays, you cannot go anywhere and miss a person having a pierced lip, cheek, or even tongue as a way of expressing themselves. Although we foster self-expression by all means, as dentists, it's our right to call out risky activities done by the general public. There exist various designs by which people express themselves through oral piercings.

Tongue Piercings


These kinds of piercings vary from a single hole through the center of your tongue to multiple posts vertically or horizontally under the tongue. The dentists consider the single post through the tongue the safest; however, many prefer the multiple jewelry placements for extra uniqueness.

Lips Piercings


Lip piercings involve the placement of jewelry near, around, or through the lips, including vampire, smile, or frown piercings. Sometimes lip piercings involve jewelry placement between the gums and the lips inside your mouth. The above are common oral piercings, although other kinds pose oral-related risks, such as on the cheeks or gums.

Oral Piercing Complications


Oral piercings have been associated with extreme implications to even the overall body condition. After tongue piercing, the patient is left in extreme pain, which causes swollen tongues. This can hinder the normal breathing habit of the patient. Moreover, the introduction of jewelry in the mouth brings in unwanted bacteria that often cause infections in the oral environment.

Patients with heart diseases are more susceptible to the implications of the introduction of bacteria in the mouth, as this has been reported as the root cause of damaged heart valves. The tongue contains numerous blood capillaries; hence during piercings, one loses a lot of blood which may affect your overall body condition.

Worse enough, the introduced jewelry can break off while in the mouth leading to cases of you being choked or chewing on it. It can even chip your teeth and cause deep injuries, which may require root canal procedures if severe. Call our offices for immediate interventions if you notice swelling, excessive bleeding, discharges, and experience fever.
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