While at first it may seem that there are many reasons to support getting your mouth, tongue or lip pierced, take a look at some of the risks associated with the practice of oral piercing and you may just think otherwise.
Chipped, worn or cracked teeth
People who wear barbells or studs in their mouths usually end up with chips and fractures in their teeth which must be repaired repeatedly. Lip rings can cause similar damage.
Speech impediments
Jewellery associated with oral piercing often gets in the way of proper diction, leaving individuals unable to properly pronounce certain sounds. People develop lisps and other speech impediments as a result.
Gum surgery and tooth loss
Barbells and studs constantly rubbing up against gums cause the gum tissue to to recede, thereby making gum surgery necessary – if one is fortunate. Sometimes even surgery cannot fix the damage that has been done and as a result, tooth loss becomes a definite risk.
Respiratory problems and internal tears
Studs can pop out and screws can become loose. They can then get swallowed or inhaled, leaving people with breathing difficulties or problems within their digestive systems if the sharp objects become lodged within the intestines or puncture internal body tissue.
Infection
The mouth is moist and full of bacteria, and the tongue has major blood vessels, ideal for spreading infection to the brain and elsewhere.When this happens, your overall health and very life can be put into serious jeopardy.
Hepatitis and HIV
Unsterile instruments can easily spread these deadly diseases from person to person. Dentists and other health professionals use autoclaves and other highly specialized equipment to ensure that all instruments coming in contact with bodily fluids are sterile. Do the businesses that provide piercing services subscribe to these same rigorous standards of sterilization? If they do not, the consequences can be dire.
Sudden blood loss
The tongue contains large blood vessels. If one gets perforated, a bleeding problems can result. This is very serious and may only be able to be resolved surgically.
Ugly scars
What if a procedure doesn’t go as planned, or you decide later on that you don’t like your pierced mouth anymore. More often than not, your earlier decision is not undoable, and you will be left with a permanent and unsightly reminder of a regrettable decision for the rest of your life.
Constant pain
Constant painTongue piercing has been associated with neuralgia, a condition that leaves people with long-lasting nerve pain. Incidentally, it is also important to note that all of the risks I have mentioned are associated not only with metal barbells, studs and rings, but also with jewellery
made from all other types of materials including plastic.
I urge you to think carefully about all of these very real consequences I have reviewed and hope that this information is also helpful to parents as a tool in educating their children about the perils of oral piercing.
Steven Deskin is a Brantford Dentist in general practice.
