February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. The National Children’s Dental Health Month is a…
The Trouble with Oral Piercings
Oral piercings seem to be a trend that is not going anywhere anytime soon. Teens and even some adults find pleasure in piercing their tongue or cheek. While these accessories might look good, they pose a large number of dangers to a person’s oral health. If you have been unable to convince your teen or yourself to avoid this trend, here are a few reasons that might help.
- Piercing causes holes in your mouth, which gives germs a way into your bloodstream, putting you at risk for serious illness as a result. Your mouth is a gateway to the rest of your body. This is why we brush and floss our teeth on a regular basis, to remove the germs that reside in our mouth, preventing them from going into the body. When there are holes from piercing, the germs have a way to get into the body, greatly increasing the risk of certain infections, including herpes simplex virus, inflammation of the heart valves, and hepatitis just to name a few.
- Nerve damage can occur, which can cause numbness or difficulty moving the tongue. Depending on the area of the piercing, the tongue can become damaged, meaning that it can no longer feel pain, hot, or cold and cannot move properly, which can impede your speech.
- Increased risk of gum disease is another result of oral piercings. As the jewelry scrapes against the gums, it can cause them to recede, be more sensitive, and even increase the risk of tooth loss.
- Your tongue could swell. If you have a negative reaction to the tongue piercing or an infection settles in, your tongue could swell which could interfere with your ability to breathe, putting not only your oral health, but your overall well-being at risk.
- Damage to your teeth could occur very easily. Your teeth were not meant to come into contact with jewelry clanging against them on a daily basis. Eventually this can wear down the enamel and can even cause your teeth to chip.
Oral piercings have many dangers that are not worth the risk. If you are thinking about buying into this trend, think of the things that could go wrong as a result. In the end, it is not worth it – there are many other trends that you can participate in that will not damage your oral or physical health, making them a much better choice.
Dr. Jordan Cooper is from Jacksonville, AR. His father is Dr. James Cooper, a Jonesboro, AR native and practicing dentist of 39 years and his mother, Tracy Cooper, is a dental hygienist from Little Rock. Dr. Cooper graduated high school from Central Arkansas Christian, after which he entered at the University of Arkansas as a Chancellor’s Scholar in 1998.
Dr. David Cole is a graduate from the University of Arkansas, receiving his degree in 2016, and is a huge Razorback fan! He then went to dental school at the University of Tennessee where he received his D.D.S. in 2021. He looks forward to getting to know the Central Arkansas area, and serving his community!
Dr. Rasmussen is a Hot Springs native who graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 2017 (Go Bears). After receiving his D.D.S from The University of Tennessee in 2021, he is looking forward to serving the central Arkansas community and the wonderful people who live here.
Dr. James Cooper was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He studied at the University of New Mexico and graduated from dental school from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. After 2 years of dental experience with the Army, Dr. Cooper moved to Jacksonville in 1973 to practice dentistry.