Piercing Problems
If you’re thinking about getting your tongue pierced or know someone who is, a new study could have you thinking twice. A new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, shows that tongue studs cause a gap between your two front-teeth.
Also, tongue piercings can lead to inadvertent chipping of teeth. The study reports that those with their tongue pierced play with their tongue studs, usually by pushing the barbell shaped object back and forth against their front teeth.
The study reports that a young woman, 26-years old, managed to create a significant gap between her upper teeth, called diastema. She would periodically wedge the thin part of the stud between her teeth and by wiggling it around over the course of seven years, she created a sizable gap.
The woman eventually got her teeth fixed with braces.
Piercing phenomenon in Syracuse
Syracuse dentist, Dr. Howard Alexander, has seen the problem of tooth chipping with his patients due to tongue rings. However, the creation of a gap between the two front teeth is not something he’s seen firsthand.
“Typically it (tooth chipping) would be when a patient or person is chewing food that it would be the most likely time for that to happen,” said Dr. Alexander.
The average cost of getting a tongue pierced ranges from $30-60. However if a gap is created between your teeth over time or incidental tooth chipping occurs, patients could be paying a much higher fee for their dental bills.
Dr. Howard went on to say the cost of repairing a damaged tooth because of a tongue ring can get pricey. “It could cost anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to over a thousand dollars,” said Howard.
Other Health Risks
Dr. Alexander said there are various potential health risks a tongue ring may pose, even outside the realm of dentistry.
“I wouldn’t recommend a tongue ring whether it caused dental issues or not. The other thing that might need to be considered is the biological issue created by trauma to soft tissue of the tongue, by having a foreign irritant there on an ongoing basis,” said Dr. Howard.
Other issues that may arise aside from your teeth according to Dr. Howard are:
- Scarring
- Potential infection
- Speech impediments
Dr. Alexander added jokingly, “The oral cavity is no place for metal foreign objects, if you want a tongue ring, you could do the same damage chewing on nails if you like.”
All joking aside, Dr. Alexander advises against getting a tongue ring.
“I would strongly discourage getting a piercing in an area that’s under constant function and inherently not sterile. I just think someone who does that is looking for trouble.”
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