Tongue, lip and cheek piercing is quite
popular, but if you or someone you know is considering oral piercings your dentist will tell you that there are
some dangers that everyone should be aware of.
According to Web MD, oral piercings can cause
excessive bleeding, gum disease, infection and disease. In fact, oral piercings
can also cause eventual tooth loss.
Infections are a common side effect with oral
piercings thanks to the millions of bacteria that already live in your mouth.
Once jewelry is introduced and has been handled by less than clean hands, your
risk of infections is increased ten-fold.
The Herpes Simplex Virus and Hepatitis B and
C can be transmitted after oral piercings. Make sure that if you do decide to
have your lip, tongue, or cheek pierced that you do so with a reputable oral
piercing establishment and schedule an appointment with your dentist.
People who have undiagnosed heart problems
could have serious problems, especially if a bacterium enters the blood stream.
Endocarditis is a real issue that causes inflammation of the heart valves and
the heart itself.
Nobody likes to drool, but if you have oral piercing,
it could become a permanent problem as could nerve damage.
It is normal to experience a numb mouth or
tongue after oral piercings, but unfortunately, that loss of taste and
sensation could become a permanent issue, especially if your nerves were
pierced when you had the procedure.
If the blood vessels are accidentally
punctured during your oral piercing, you could have prolonged bleeding that
could result in excessive blood loss.
Tongue swelling is normal after an oral
piercing, but your dentist has seen cases where the swelling was so severe that
it cut off the airways making breathing almost impossible.
Gum disease is seen more frequently in people
who have had oral piercings and those who wear long stem jewelry, such as
barbells could cause injury to the gums. If this occurs, you are setting
yourself up for gum recession and eventual tooth loss.
Jewelry aspiration happens if the stud, ring,
or barbell becomes loose. You could accidentally swallow the jewelry. Injury to
the lungs or digestive track is a real possibility if you wear mouth jewelry.
Of course, many other problems could occur
with oral piercings including daily oral function, tooth damage and an allergic
reaction to the metal.
