Can Snake Bite Piercings Damage Your Teeth?

Piercings, tattoos, any cosmetic wound to your body have the potential to cause serious effects. After all, they are, well, wounds. And, wounds, while healing, can become inflamed, irritated, etc. That said, when deciding to ink or pierce your body, knowing the side effects of these cosmetic procedures are important.

For snake bite piercings, specifically, it's important to know every potential effect as this piercing has a high potential of damaging your teeth, per Healthline. Since the piercings rest on your lip (hence the name snack bit), your teeth and gums are coming in direct contact with metal, the outlet explains. This can irritate your teeth and potentially risk your oral health.

Furthermore, this piercing may even damage your tooth enamel, break a few teeth, or cause your tooth to decay, according to FreshTrends. If you already suffer from bad oral hygiene, it may not be in your best interest to get a snake bite piercing.

You can get snake bite piercings without damaging your teeth, however. You just have to commit to some serious aftercare.

As aforementioned, snake bite piercings can damage your oral health, but only if you are lazy with aftercare. While pretty intensive, the aftercare will lessen the likelihood of the piercing damaging your teeth and gums, per FreshTrends.

After getting the snake bite piercing, you must not touch the jewelry as you risk the rate of infection every time you do. And, once one piece of jewelry is infected, the other one will become as well, the outlet warned. Healthline added that you must up your oral routine — floss after every meal, brush your teeth twice a day, rinse the piercing with saline solution three times a day, and store your toothbrush away from any other brushes. Byrdie, meanwhile, notes that a good reminder for any oral piercing aftercare is the acronym R-I-C-E for rest, ice, clean, and elevate.

Also, avoid eating hard, crunchy foods as you're likely to bite your lip (and piercing), per FreshTrends. Your lip will be slightly swollen after the piercing, so biting your lip as you're eating chips or popcorn will significantly delay the healing process and increase the likelihood of damaging your oral health.

The aftercare of a snake bite piercing is a lot. But after a few months of proper care, your piercing should be all healed. Sometimes, the things we really want are worth it in the end.