Are you maintaining your tongue piercing?
Whether your teenager is looking to get a tongue piercing or you already have one, it’s important to realize that everything in your mouth affects your dental health. Before you decide to get a tongue piercing, learn about the many ways that your tongue piercing will affect your dental health.
Tooth Movement
Most people who get tongue piercings do not remove them—ever! Part of the reason why they aren’t typically removed is that the tongue heals very rapidly, so taking out a tongue piercing can mean losing the piercing hole forever. Tongue piercings also are typically purchased to express personality and personal style in the first place, so people who get them love them so much they never want to take them out. By having a constant pressure against the back of your teeth, over time they will start to loosen and move. While this phenomenon can occur without an oral piercing, it is incredibly common with them.
Cracking & Chipping
When going through the motions of everyday life, talking, and eating, your tongue piercing clinks against your teeth. Even once you are used to the feeling of your tongue piercing in your mouth, this will still inevitably happen. As the tongue piercing makes contact with your teeth, it chips away enamel and eventually exposes the dentin and pulp underneath. Cracking and chipping can take a major toll on your dental health (and cost you many cavities and root canals) in the future.
Bacterial Infections
New tongue piercings are at a huge risk for bacterial infections since the area cannot be easily kept dry or treated like ear piercings or belly button piercings. Secondary infections as a result of tongue piercings don’t just affect your dental health, they can hurt your overall health as well. Serious infections like hepatitis, angina, and herpes are all linked to tongue piercings.
Family Oral Care from Catonsville Dental Care
Whether you need a wisdom tooth extracted or a professional cleaning, Catonsville Dental Care has the experience and understanding to diagnose and treat your problem as quickly and painlessly as possible. We offer a suite of services including dental implants, cleanings, Invisalign, and routine preventative dental treatments. We look forward to helping keep you smiling all year long. To schedule an appointment or consultation, visit us online or give us a call at (410) 747-1115. For more tips and tricks, follow us on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube.