Studs Can Tarnish Tooth Health

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FRIDAY, Aug. 1, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- That shiny metal stud in your tongue may look cool, but it could tarnish the health of your teeth and gums.

An article in the July issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association says having your tongue, lips or cheeks pierced and ornamented with jewelry could increase your risk of recessed gums, loose teeth and even tooth loss.

Other potential problems include chipped or fractured teeth, infection, pain, inflammation or nerve damage at the site of the piercing.

"Wearing oral piercing ornaments, even over relatively short periods, may result in significant deformities to gingival tissue (gums) that might not respond satisfactorily to surgery and, in fact, may lead to tooth loss," lead author John K. Brooks, clinical associate professor, University of Maryland Dental School, says in a news release.

The article says the most commonly pierced oral sites include the tongue and lip, at 81 percent and 38.1 percent, respectively.

Tongue piercing can cause damage to gum tissue behind the lower teeth and lip piercing may cause injury to gum tissue in front of the lower teeth, the article says.

It includes five case reports of young adults who all had some degree of gum recession and injury near the site of their oral jewelry. Three of the young adults had spaces between teeth and gums that ranged from 5 millimeters to 8 millimeters. That may indicate moderate or severe periodontitis.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about piercing and tattoos.