Chicago Dentist - How Piercings Affect Your Dental Health

How Piercings Affect Your Dental Health

In the last decade, piercings that were once considered extreme are commonplace. This includes oral piercings of the lips, cheeks, and tongue. While the younger generation – and some members of the older generation – are fascinated with the practice of piercing, it can be detrimental to your dental health.

The most common problem associated with piercings in relation to dental health is the risk of infection. The mouth is very dirty – no matter how much you brush your teeth or rinse your mouth. It is a breeding ground for infection, and by opening up a hole, you are increasing the risk. Constantly having a foreign object in your mouth doesn’t help the situation.

The second most common problem with piercing is broken, chipped, or fractured teeth. When we talk, laugh, and chew, often we will bite our lips or our tongues. It is painful. It’s more painful when a tooth comes down on what is essentially a bolt in your mouth, causing a tooth to break. More than one tooth has been lost in this fashion. Even if the tooth isn’t lost, it will still need dental attention – at the very least for a filling, and at the most for a root canal and possible extraction. Will the piercing still look super cool when you are missing your front teeth?

Oral piercings can also have life threatening effects as well. The tongue is constantly covered with bacteria. When the tongue is pierced, that bacteria can seep into the blood stream and travel to other organs in the body, such as the heart.

Other less serious problems associated with piercings, in relation to dental care include pain, scarring, swelling, damage to the gums, reduced sense of taste, and frequent mouth sores.

If you are thinking about getting an oral piercing, consider speaking with your dentist first. Ask to see pictures of damage that has been done by oral piercings, and discuss how it will affect your dental health.

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