Preparing for Medical and Dental Procedures

When you undergo medical or dental examinations, treatments, or procedures, you may be asked to remove your body jewelry. However, many piercings (even old ones) shrink or close very quickly and it could be difficult or impossible for you to put jewelry back in. So if your regular jewelry must be taken out, the best course of action is to keep a retainer in the channel at all times to prevent any problems.

It is not always medically necessary to remove or change your jewelry.

• Discuss your piercing with your healthcare provider prior to scheduling an appointment in which the presence of your jewelry may be an issue.
• Inquire about feasibility of wearing a nonmetallic replacement when you are asked to remove metal from your body.
• Obtain a retainer before your appointment and if possible get your doctor to approve it so there will be no surprises when you go in for your procedure.
• Arrange with your piercer for an insertion before your appointment if you will require help.
• If you cannot get a retainer in advance, ask your dentist for a sterile floss threader, or a doctor or nurse in the medical office or hospital for a sterile IV catheter or microbore IV tubi

Studies have shown that removing piercing jewelry is generally not necessary for X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and many other procedures, unless the piercing is directly in the area of examination or treatment. If you wear metal jewelry, it will be visible on the test results, of course, but this is only a problem when the ornament obscures the area of concern. 

Most high-quality metal body jewelry is non-ferromagnetic (nonmagnetic), so it will not react to the MRI equipment. Be aware however, that some body jewelry may indeed be a very dangerous problem when getting a MRI. The jewelry can be tested with a strong hand-held magnet prior to entering the MRI suite to determine if its magnetic or not, and a "scout scan" can be performed by the MRI technician to determine the amount of blurring or artifact from the jewelry.

These do become blurred if metal is present, so all metal jewelry in the area of the examination does need to be removed for this type of scan.

Dental professionals are often particularly disapproving of tongue and other oral piercings. Poorly fitted jewelry and excessive play do cause substantial damage to the teeth and oral structures. But there is never an excuse for a health care provider to mistreat you.

Many studios offer a selection of retainers in non-metallic materials. Some are specific to a particular type of piercing, while others can be used in a variety of placements. Retainers can be worn to keep piercings open when ordinary jewelry must be removed, or for concealment.

Retainers made of glass and inert plastics are common. Some have a ball, dome, or disc on one end and an O-ring closure on the other end. Unfortunately, the O-ring may come off easily especially in oral piercings.

Depending on how long your usual jewelry must be out and what will take place during that time, non-metallic barbells of PTFE or other inert plastic may be preferred because they stay in much more securely.