When people talk about the dangers of oral piercings, they mostly discuss the risk of infection, swelling and nerve damage to the tongue or lip. These are all possibilities, but you should know that oral piercings also present direct threats to your teeth. For example, piercing your cheek, tongue, or lip increases your chances of developing:

Gum Disease

When the jewelry comes into contact with your gums, they can cause injury to the tissues. Bruised gum tissues can easily be infected by oral bacteria, and gum disease can lead to loss of teeth. The contact between the piercings and your gum tissues can also lead to gum recession, which may expose your tooth root and make it susceptible to periodontal disease.

Teeth Chipping

Apart from injuries to your gums, the jewels can also chip or crack your teeth. Routine chipping may occur when you chew food, talk or sleep with the jewelery in your mouth. However, real damage may occur when you experience physical trauma to your mouth, for example, such as you would get when playing contact sports. Minor cracks may be dealt with by dental fillings, but serious cracks that extend deep into the tooth require more comprehensive treatment (such as a root canal).

Dental Appointment Difficulties

Another problem with oral jewelry is that it can complicate your dental appointments and treatments. For example, the dentist may have a hard time reaching some parts of your teeth for a dental cleaning. The jewelry may also block dental x-rays and cause a misrepresentation of the results.

Oral Hygiene Difficulty

As you know, regular brushing and flossing is necessary to maintain your oral health. You need to use a good toothbrush and brushing technique (soft circular motion of the brush is best) to ensure that the bristles reach all the crevices of your teeth. If you have pieces of jewelry in your mouth, then they may block the action of the toothbrush. You may even end up brushing too gently for fear of injuring your mouth.

Dental Filling Damage

Just like the oral piercing can damage your teeth, they can also erode your dental fillings. The constant contact with the filling material means that you may have to redo your dental treatment sooner than you would without the oral jewelry.

If you already have oral jewelry, then you should have your dentist check them regularly for signs of infection. It is also a good idea to remove them whenever you have a dental consultation with a clinic like Havendale Dental Office PA.

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