Why Oral Piercing Should Be Avoided

Oral piercings is a fashion trend and may look cool, but it can be dangerous to one's oral health. Complications may take place because your mouth carries a massive amount of bacteria. Therefore, infection and swelling commonly occur with mouth piercings. To give an example, your mouth and tongue could swell so much that you close off your air passage or you could choke if by chance part of the jewelry breaks off in your mouth and move inwards. A tooth could crack if you bite down too hard on the piercing. Repeated contact with the teeth can cause wear down of the enamel. Oral piercing could also lead to more severe infections, like hepatitis or endocarditis.

Possible Piercing Sites

Tongue Piercing

• Dorsoventral: It is the most common type of piercing and also the safest. The process includes piercing the dorsal, i.e., top or middle, with the jewelry, to the ventral, i.e., underneath or bottom of the tongue. It is a typical piercing placement and needs the avoidance of major blood vessels during the process. For this type of piercing, Barbells are the most regularly used form of jewelry. After the piercing is made, the barbell studs are screwed on the top and bottom, each to an end of a stainless-steel shaft that extends a little through the piercing.
• Dorsolateral: It is made through the width of the tongue, i.e., by inserting the jewelry from right to left. The barbell studs are positioned on the top of the tongue at the lateral borders, keeping the alignment of the barbell post across the tongue's width. However, because this part of the tongue is heavily composed of blood vessels, this type of oral piercing is not a safe procedure, and most professional piercers don't perform it.

Tongue Piercing

Lip Piercing

The side of the lower lip towards the corners of the mouth where the lips meet is the most common site for a lip piercing. However, piercings can be made anywhere on the vermillion border (the area where the lip tissue meets the facial skin).

Other Piercings

Cheek piercings (dimples) and frenum (web) piercings are less frequent than lip or tongue piercings but are also alternative options. Among intra-oral/peri-oral areas, the uvula (the tiny tissue that hangs at the back of the throat) is probably the least common site due to the difficulties related to performing the procedure.

Complications

• If you pierce any of these; tongue, lips, cheeks or uvula, it can interfere with your speech, chewing or swallowing.
• Infection, pain, and swelling can often be caused. Your mouth is home to millions of bacteria, and most prone to infections and can become life-threatening even before we could know if not treated immediately.
• Oral piercing can affect gums, teeth, and fillings. Often a person bites or plays with the piercing which can result in injuries to gums and lead to chipped or sensitive teeth. Piercings can also damage restoration fillings.
• A person could be hypersensitivity to metals. Hence, allergic reactions are possible at the pierced site.
• Sometimes piercings can damage nerve too. Many may experience a numb tongue after piercing. That happens by nerve damage which is temporary. But in some cases, it can be permanent. An injured nerve affects your sense of taste, or how you move your mouth and talk. Acute blood loss can take place if your tongue's blood vessels get damaged.
• Excessive drooling can happen because tongue piercing increases saliva production.
• The jewelry can block X-rays and can get in the way of dental care.
• Torrance Dentist, Dr. Paul Kim says if you have an oral piercing and you're experiencing any of the above signs then immediately get in contact with your local dentist or physician your dentist or physician, and do not delay in treating it.
• Dr. Paul also suggests that you keep the piercing site clean and rinse your mouth after each meal.
• Try not clicking the jewelry against teeth. Be careful while talking and eating.
• Always touch the site or jewelry with clean hands. Doing this can help prevent infections.
• When playing sports, you must remove the jewelry and use a mouthguard for protection.
• Visit your dentist frequently, and remember to maintain good oral hygiene by brushing twice and flossing once a day.

Related Article: Root Canal Therapy: Guide to a painless treatment

The best option is to consider getting the jewelry removed before it causes a severe problem. Don’t get pierced on a whim and unprepared. The piercing will require constant attention and upkeep which makes it an added responsibility. So do think twice before you go for it.

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue_piercing
2. http://dreamdental.us/dental-cleaning-consultation/
3. http://www.yourdentistryguide.com/piercing/