These days it’s quite rare to see a teen or
young adult who doesn’t have something pierced, but according to your dentist,
there are some dangers that are very real when it comes to oral piercings.
According to a recent article published on the Colgate website, oral piercings can cause a number of things including
infections and jewelry aspiration. Tongue, cheek, and lip piercings can also be
to blame for permanent nerve damage.
The metal jewelry that is used in oral
piercings comes in many styles. These include barbells, rings or hoops and
studs, but unlike ear piercing, oral piercings cause a great threat to your
overall health, including your teeth and gums.
Because your mouth is host to millions of bacteria,
oral piercings could cause infection, not only from the wound itself, but also
from the jewelry. If you or the person who is handling the stud, ring or
barbell has not disinfected his or her hands you could be asking for trouble.
Serious or prolonged bleeding is another
complication that can occur after oral piercing. If the person who is doing the
piercing accidentally punctures a blood vessel, prolonged bleeding and extreme
blood loss could be the result.
Your dentist understands that swelling and pain is expected after any type
of oral or body piercing, but in extreme cases, the tongue becomes so swollen
that it has actually cut off the breathing passageway severely restricting
breathing.
If your teeth are exposed to your oral jewelry,
you are setting yourself up for fractured teeth, chips, and damage to your caps,
fillings, and crowns.
Metal mouth jewelry can injure your gum
tissue. Once this begins, it is very difficult to reverse, as your gums will
begin to recede eventually leading to tooth loss. You may think that your mouth
jewelry looks cool, but recessed gums are not very attractive. If the root of
your tooth is exposed you are also setting yourself up for periodontal disease.
Mouth jewelry can also cause problems for
oral function including your ability to speak or chew properly. Oral piercings
have also been known to cause excessive saliva.
Oral piercings could be responsible for
transmitted diseases including hepatitis B, C, D, and the Herpes Simplex virus.
People who have undiagnosed heart problems
and decide to have their lips, cheek, or tongue pierced could be risking
endocarditis, or an inflammation of the heart or heart valves if bacteria
happens to enter the bloodstream.
If you would like more information regarding
the dangers of oral piercings, schedule an appointment with your dentist who
can help you understand the risks.
