Oral Piercings: When Your Style Compromises Your Oral Health

There are many ways to express yourself. While a new hairstyle or even a tattoo won’t directly harm your dental health, an oral piercing undoubtedly can. Oral piercings are chosen as a favorable form of body art for some. However, just because it may be “cool” or trendy, doesn’t mean it is safe. In fact, oral piercings can pose a significant threat to your health and well-being.

Infection: A primary concern with an oral piercing is infection. Any type of piercing can introduce new bacteria to your body. A tongue or even lip piercing is the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive and breed.

Functional Limitations: Depending on the location and size of your oral piercing, you can suffer from impaired speech, chewing or swallowing.

Excess Saliva: It is typical to experience excessive saliva or drooling after getting an oral piercing. This can be more of an embarrassment or nuisance rather than an oral health issue.

Teeth Damage: One of the most common and serious concerns from an oral piercing involves direct injury or damage to your teeth. This can involve chips and cracks in your tooth enamel as well as damage to existing filling or crowns.

Metal Sensitivity: You may not realize your body’s sensitivity to metal until you get a piercing. Metal allergies can be dangerous if severe.

Nerve Damage: When getting an oral piercing, you can expect to feel temporary numbness. However, for some people, the loss of sensation is permanent. This is due to injured nerves, which can affect your ability to make certain facial expressions and may even damage your sense of taste.

At Gilreath Family Dentistry, we put oral health as a top priority. Therefore, we encourage patients to avoid oral piercings and find other safe ways to express themselves and show off their style. Considering the above risks to your health and comfort, this trend is simply not worth it.