Oral Piercing

It's not a surprise these days to see some people sporting pierced tongues, lips or cheeks. The surprise for some of these folks, however, is that piercing can be dangerous.

Visits to the emergency room or doctor's office are not usually on the minds of those who are electing to have piercing. There are some things that should be considered, however. The human mouth contains millions of bacteria, and infection is a common complication of oral piercing. Other side effects include pain and swelling.

The most popular piercing site, the tongue, could swell enough to close off an airway. Regardless of how "experienced" the person doing the piercing claims to be, piercing can cause uncontrollable bleeding and nerve damage.

Piercing can be extremely painful and result in swelling and increased saliva flow and even drooling. Healing may take six weeks or longer, especially if there are complications.

Even if the piercing injury doesn't cause any trouble, you should be aware of the potential hazards that mouth jewelry presents:

• You can easily choke on any studs, barbells or hoops that come loose in your mouth.

• The jewelry can chip or crack your teeth.

• Jewelry worn in the mouth can hinder your ability to eat, not to mention your speech. It's hard to be cool when you can't pronounce your words or when pieces of your lunch are stuck to that tiny barbell.

Piercing is a fashion statement that involves more than just deciding what jewelry will be attached to the body and where. This decision could have major consequences for your oral health, too.