11:30 AM PST on Thursday, February 24, 2005

By JEAN ENERSEN / KING 5 News

Libby Richardson got her tongue pierced when she was 18 years old. For the next six years she did what she was supposed to do. She brushed and flossed daily. She resisted the urge to play with it.

"A lot of people rub it on their teeth and that wears down the enamel and I wasn't doing any of that so it's not causing me any harm," she said.

But it was causing serious damage.

KGW

Tongue piercings have been a fad for several years, but it may carry some health risks for those who have had the procedure.

Slides of Libby's mouth show how bad it was. The tongue ring banged against Libby's lower jaw so frequently, it traumatized her jaw and created a hole that had to be bone graphed.

"There's a big crater missing ... you're looking right in at the root and you shouldn't be able to see the root," said Dr. Theresa Madden, a periodontist at OHSU. She treated Libby and another patient with similar bone problems from tongue rings. But she says it could have been worse.

"They are extremely dangerous," she said.

Dr. Madden says tongue and lip rings can lead to life threatening complications.

She knows of three cases where tongue rings triggered endocarditis. Bacteria from your mouth travel straight to your heart. It infects the valves of the heart, and can be deadly.

"When someone has a tongue piercing it's like letting an opening as big as a garage door into your blood stream," she said.

Dr. Madden also says if a piercing parlor doesn't follow sterilization procedures, the piercee can develop HIV or hepatitis.

"Lip and tongue piercings are very serious risks. I would discourage all of my patients from ever getting that kind of piercing," said Dr. Madden.

Jenn Fiendish is a licensed body piercer. She not only pierces tongues, she's had hers pierced for 8 years.

"Probably 80 percent of the people I know have them and nobody's ever had a problem," she said.

Fiendish requires her clients to sign consent forms. If they have a history of heart problems, she turns them away. She admits piercing can pose problems, but says it's poor after-care that's causes the trouble.

"I would say they're not any more dangerous than crossing the street if you do it properly and you take care of what you're doing you're not going to get hit by a car," she said.

But after racking up thousands of dollars in dental bills, Libby says she learned an expensive lesson she hopes others will dodge.

"It's still peoples' choice to get their tongue pierced but they should know all of the risks before they get it done. If I had known this was a possibility I wouldn't have gotten it done in the first place," said Libby.

Dr. Madden says while wearing tongue rings may be fashionable, it comes with a steep price that few can afford.

If you experience any soreness or problems with a tongue ring, contact your doctor right away.