From hairstyles to clothing, tattoos to jewelry, today’s youth are making a fashion statement.  I don’t really understand it, but part of that statement involves people wanting to pierce anything and everything they can.  Not too long ago, teens wanted to avoid the moniker “metal mouth”, but the oral piercing trend seems to have overshadowed that social fear.  Now, piercing the tongue, lip or cheeks is a fairly popular form of self-expression.  People interested in this trend, however, should be aware that it is not without health risks.

The Risks

Mouth piercing can interfere with speech, chewing or swallowing.  That may seem like a mere inconvenience until you consider that it may also cause:

• Excessive drooling (something you won’t see in the fashion magazines!)
• Infection, pain and swelling
• Chipped or cracked teeth
• Injuries to gums
• Damage to fillings
• Increased salivary flow
• Hypersensitivity to metals
• Scar tissue
• Nerve damage

The harmful effects can happen during the piercing, soon after or even long after the procedure has been done.

An infection from an oral piercing can quickly become life-threatening if it’s not treated promptly.  For example, oral piercing carries a potential risk of endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart valves or tissues.  Bacteria can enter the bloodstream through the piercing site in the mouth and travel to the heart, where it can grow and colonize on heart abnormalities.  This is a risk for people with heart conditions and in the worst of cases can result in death.

After the piercing, the tongue may swell.  There have been reports of swelling serious enough to block the airway.  It’s also very possible to puncture a nerve during a tongue piercing.  It this happens, the person may experience a “numb” tongue – nerve damage that is sometimes temporary and sometimes permanent.  The injured nerve may affect the sense of taste or how a person moves their mouth.  Along with that, there is always the possibility of damage to the tongue’s blood vessels that can lead to serious blood loss. 

Just touching the mouth jewelry (tongue barbells and lip and cheek labrettes) can lead to infection.  Believe it or not, people who have oral piercings often touch them – which is the perfect opportunity for bacteria from the hands to enter the piercing sites.  In addition, food particles collect around piercing sites which can also lead to infection (one of your more pleasant thoughts).

Some people have even swallowed the jewelry – which can lead to a puncture of the bowel or intestine.

Often, those with piercings develop the habit of “biting” the barbells or playing with the balls.  This can lead to cracked teeth, gum damage and areas of sensitivity.  The need may also arise for additional dental treatment that wouldn’t have been necessary had it not been for the piercing and jewelry.

Sometimes uncomfortable, protruding scar tissue can form around the piercing site from the stress of the metal against the inside of the mouth, and the jewelry can even cause allergic responses to occur.

Can you tell I’m not real impressed with oral piercings?  Oh well, I’m not all that thrilled with some of the clothing styles I see these days either!