Are you considering Oral Piercing? Are the risks worth it to you? -

Piercing the tongue, lips, cheeks, or uvula is not as safe as you might think. 

A mouth piercing can cause problems with chewing or swallowing.  Oral piercings can cause excessive saliva production and affect your ability to pronounce words clearly.   However, these are only inconveniences compared to the other problems piercing may cause.

The mouth’s moist environment contains bacteria and oral piercing carries the potential for infection at the site of the piercing.  Touching your mouth jewelry can increase the this risk by transferring the bacteria on the hand to the piercing site and food particles that collect around piercings are breeding grounds for bacteria.  Bacteria can enter the bloodstream through the piercing site and travel to the heart causing a potential risk of endocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart valves or tissues.

An injured nerve may make your tongue feel numb and could change how you move your mouth resulting in nerve damage.   Prolonged bleeding can occur if your tongue’s blood vessels are damaged during to the piercing.  Swelling commonly occurs after oral piercing and may become serious enough to block the airway.

Some patients develop a biting or playing with the oral jewelry which can injure the gums and lead to cracked, scratched or sensitive teeth.  This damage may result in the need for expensive dental treatment or loss of teeth.

Remember, the piercing will be an added responsibility for the rest of your life and will need constant attention and upkeep.  The American Dental Association opposes the practice of piercing in or around the mouth – because it is bad for oral health.