The trend of tongue piercing is prominent in society right now. Even though it is more common than ever, it has negative consequences to the oral health. It has been reported that most body piercings are done on the tongue and lips. Tongue piercing causes a lot of damage to teeth and gums. First, you need to be able to survive the discomfort, pain and bleeding associated with the placement of the bolt. Then you need to avoid getting an infection during the healing process. Bolts may cause gum recession, pain, sensitivity, chipping and even breakage of teeth. When the gums are affected it may lead to pain, infection, swelling, bleeding and irreversible bone loss. Sometimes the damage to the teeth may affect the nerve of the tooth which would require a root canal treatment and a crown. Depending on whether the piercing affects a nerve on the tongue it can bring about a severe nerve pain known as trigeminal neuralgia.
Our tongues are a delicate and, at the same time, a complex structure composed of very important nerves and several blood vessels. It is a group of muscles that depend solely on its blood supply and nervous system to function properly. By piercing your tongue, several of these components may suffer damage and also a lot of bleeding may occur. If you consider having a piercing in any part of your body, make sure to consider all of its ramifications before committing to it. It is a life changing decision that may be only a reflection of peer pressure, a trend or a temporary state of mind that will stay with you forever.
If someone decides to remove their tongue piercing, their oral health would improve tremendously just by the fact they would be removing a high risk factor, the bolt, which can potentially cause so much injury to so many oral structures.
Ask your dentist questions, ask your physician, find all the facts before you go ahead with it. It is worth finding out all about it before doing something you might regret.
Call us today at (401) 247-2200 and visit Maple Avenue Family Dentistry to find out more about the facts on oral piercings!
