Do Oral Piercings Increase Your Risk for Gum Disease?

Oral piercings are popular among younger generations because they a form of self-expression. Regular brushing and flossing can help prevent tooth decay and gum disease by ridding the mouth of harmful bacteria. Unfortunately, mouth piercings increase the opportunity for harmful bacteria to pervade in your oral cavity and cause dental problems.

Oral Piercings & Gum Disease

When you get an oral piercing, someone who is not a dental professional is making a hole in your tongue, lip, cheek or the back of your throat. The first concern is whether the establishment or individual doing this procedure is using sterile tools and the second is the quality of the jewelry. The risk of infection from oral piercings is exceptionally high and can result in other, more severe side effects, such as difficulty breathing.

As you probably know, your mouth is full of bacteria, and any foreign object inside of it could create a problem. Let’s say you get a piercing in your tongue and it gets infected because you don’t take proper care of it.

Any infection can cause swelling, and if your tongue is swollen, it can be difficult to breathe, which could turn into a life-threatening situation.

With any piercing in your body comes the responsibility to care for it as instructed in order to avoid complications from infections.

Another downside of getting oral piercings is that the metal used in the jewelry could be rubbing against your teeth causing damage to the enamel. At least one study concluded that people with tongue piercings suffer from gum disease more than those with a lip piercing. The study by Swiss researchers found that those with a tongue piercing suffered from bleeding or receding gums, compared to those with a lip piercing.

Your Dentist in Peoria, AZ

At Sunrise Dental, Our primary objective is to provide a complete dental experience with a particular focus on keeping it as easy and comfortable a visit as possible. If you have a concern about an oral piercing, don’t hesitate to call