MIAMI, CORAL GABLES AND BRICKELL, FLORIDA – It has been demonstrated that a human bite can be more “toxic” than an animal bite.
So imagine the potential for harm among those who choose to express their individuality through oral piercings.
Although they seem to be growing in popularity and perhaps even acceptance, that is no reason for you to take on the risks involved with piercing your tongue, lips or cheeks, says Dr. Stephen Grussmark a Miami orthodontist.
The risks are numerous, as oral piercings have the potential to wreak havoc on your teeth and gums.
“Particularly by piercing the tongue, you’re opening the mucosa to the bacteria that are present in the mouth,” Dr. Grussmark says. “That can lead to some pretty potent infections.”
Besides making you more susceptible to possible severe infection from bacteria, oral piercings can chip, break, wear away, or cause your teeth to become non-vital, says the Brickell Invisalign specialist. This could possibly result in the necessity for root canal therapy or even extraction of a fractured tooth. Oral piercings also can be implicated in gum recession.
Dr. Grussmark, a Brickell, Coral Gables and Miami Invisalign expert, says mouth piercings just aren’t worth it.
“When I get a patient who has oral piercings, I mention these things,” he says. “I think sometimes the message is better received when they hear it from a professional. However, I try not to hound them.”
Another concern Dr. Grussmark has in terms of teeth alignment and oral piercings is the possible effect on tooth movement.
“It’s possible for a ring- because of its profile and projection- to actually cause a tooth to move slightly and ultimately alter the tooth alignment,” he says.
The detrimental effects that oral piercings can have on the gingiva- or gums- according to Dr. Grussmark, may be demonstrated in the form of abrasions to the gingival tissues.
A study conducted in March 2002 by Loma Linda University School of Dentistry and Ohio State University College of Dentistry researchers looked at 52 young adults with tongue piercings and found evidence of gum recession in 35 percent of the adults whose tongues had been pierced for four or more years, according to the Journal of Periodontology. Half of those studied who wore long-stemmed barbells for two or more years experienced gum recession.
Nearly half of the adults who wore barbell oral jewelry also had chipped teeth as a result of the jewelry.
However, it isn’t just the barbell-type piercings that can be harmful in the mind of an orthodontist. Miami experts in the dentistry field have seen lip rings wear a groove into a tooth because of the constant movement of the ring against the tooth when talking and eating, or as a result of a person’s habit of constantly playing with the ring with their tongue, Dr. Grussmark says.
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