Oral piercings have been around for a while and most commonly include tongue, lip, and cheek piercings. If you’re considering a piercing, it’s important to know that it can have serious implications for your health. Here’s what you need to know about the most common oral piercings to decide whether they’re right for you and whether you should first talk to your dentist.

What to Know About Mouth Piercings

1. Lip

Any piercing can cause pain and swelling after it’s administered, as well as an increased risk of infection. With a lip piercing, you may experience difficulty speaking and eating until the piercing has healed. There’s an increased risk of infection until the area heals due to oral bacteria, so it will need careful cleaning. 

Even after it’s healed, the backing of a lip ring or stud can scrape the teeth and gums behind it, causing scratches in the enamel and cuts or irritation to the soft tissue, so the area will be more vulnerable to cavities and infections in the future. To minimize this problem, spend some time with your jewelry out, especially when your gums are already irritated. If the enamel is severely damaged, your dentist may recommend veneers or dental bonding to cover it.

2. Cheek

These piercings are further from the mouth, so they don’t typically cause as many problems while speaking and eating, but they still enter the mouth and increase your risk of infection. They can also still scrape against the teeth and damage their surface. With cheek piercings, it’s common to bite down on the inner part of the jewelry while chewing, especially soon after the piercing when there’s some swelling and you aren’t used to the stud yet. Besides cleaning the area, make sure to chew carefully until you’ve adjusted to the jewelry.

3. Tongue

This is the most mobile type of oral piercing because your tongue can move all around your mouth, so it’s possible to scrape or get caught on your teeth, and it's also possible to bite the piercing. Try to avoid biting the stud intentionally or knocking it against your teeth, so you can minimize enamel damage. Tongue piercings can also sometimes damage the nerves in the tongue, causing some loss of sensation and movement and changes to your sense of taste. This is a risk to discuss with your dentist before you commit to the piercing, as the effects can be permanent in some cases.

For a dentist appointment to discuss your oral piercing, contact Amison Dental Group in Canton, OH. Serving Stark County and the surrounding area for over 20 years, this friendly family dentistry provider offers advanced treatment options like dental implants and same-day crowns. They’re also available after hours for returning patients. To schedule, call (330) 452-2255, or reach out online.