Dentures can be an excellent choice for filling gaps left by missing teeth. Today’s oral prostheses are natural-looking, durable, and comfortable, but the first few days typically require adjustment. Here’s what you need to know.
Artistic expression comes in many forms. From clothing and tattoos, to hair colours and body modifications such as piercings, there’s no end to the list. However, while society grows ever more accepting of these norms, your dentist may have something to say about some of them: namely tongue piercings and other oral piercings. Tongue piercings in particular are known to cause a couple different problems such as tooth movement and chipping teeth.
Normally, this issue occurs when the tongue piercing is placed incorrectly and is too far forward on the tongue. Therefore, when your mouth is relaxed, the piercing could be putting constant pressure on the back of the top front teeth. Overtime, this will cause the teeth to loosen and shift from their original positions, overlapping over teeth and causing gaps between them.
A tongue piercing is considered to be a foreign object, and therefore your body will not be used to it right away. It may take several days in order to accommodate the new tongue piercing and grow used to it, but in that time, cracking and chipping can occur by accident when the piercing is banged against the teeth. Although this can happen when the piercing is fully healed, it’s much more likely to happen in the first few days. The chips may not be noticeable at first, but overtime enough enamel will be chipped away to create a layer thin enough for the piercing to full break and even crack.
Although the recommended practice by dentists would be to avoid oral piercings completely, for those who already have the piercing, you don’t have to take it out. Being mindful and cautious of the position of the piercing can help reduce the damage. There are jewelry options as well that can lessen the damage or eliminate it completely depending on what material is used, but that will be something to discuss with your piercer.
For more information on safe oral practices, give us a call at (818) 380-9057.
You Might Also Enjoy...
Dentures can be an excellent choice for filling gaps left by missing teeth. Today’s oral prostheses are natural-looking, durable, and comfortable, but the first few days typically require adjustment. Here’s what you need to know.
Sleep dentistry eases your mind and body in preparation for minutes or hours of necessary dental work. Here’s how you’ll know if you’re a candidate for sleep dentistry.
You rely on your dentist to keep your smile healthy, strong, and bright. But did you know that your dentist can rejuvenate your face, too? Microneedling is to skin what cosmetic dentistry is to teeth: It turns up the wattage and turns back the clock.
Jaw clenching and teeth grinding can cause pain well beyond your mouth. In fact, these everyday bad habits often result in headaches that are so severe; they’re misdiagnosed as migraines.
You may already know it, but your blood contains the key to everything that you love about you. What you may not know is that your blood has the power to reduce and heal certain signs of aging. Read on to learn more about cell therapy for skin.
If you’ve ever wished for a way to completely transform your smile, it’s time to consider veneers. Take a few moments to learn more about this option for your best, brightest smile.