Is your teenager longing to get his or her cheek, lip or tongue pierced? While every generation creates its own fashions, few fads are as potentially dangerous as oral piercing.

Piercing can damage blood vessels and cause prolonged bleeding. Even healthy mouths are full of bacteria, so creating a wound—as piercing does—offers easy access to the bloodstream for the conditions below.

The risk of serious illness is just the start. After piercing, the tongue often swells. If the swelling is severe, it can block the airway.

Metal jewelry on the tongue or lip leads to the increased production of saliva and gum irritation. Talking or eating with the jewelry in place can lead to chipped or broken teeth.

"If your ban on oral piercing prompts your child to negotiate for a nose ring, stand firm. Nose piercing carries many of the same risks as oral piercing," says Neville Anderson, M.D., a pediatrician in HMF’s La Cañada office.

Health concerns aside, body piercing carries a stigma outside your child’s peer group. Your child’s friends may think piercing is an essential form of self-expression. Law enforcement officers, college admissions officers and potential employers may think otherwise.