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We Can Treat the Damage Your Oral Piercings Are Likely to Cause

Posted on 7/26/2021 by Dr. Chad Rebhun

An oral piercing comprises a hole on your tongue, lip, or cheek to enable you to put on jewelry. While this trend is becoming common in modern society, it poses a threat to your dental health. The mouth hosts bacteria, and with poor hygiene, these bacteria can find their way into your piercing and cause an infection. Other risks of oral piercings include teeth damage and nerve damage.

Infections, Nerve, and Teeth Damage

Mouth bacteria can find their way into your piercing before it heals. If this happens, it may cause swelling, redness, and pus discharge from the infection. If you pierce your tongue, it may swell, but the swelling should reduce after some time. However, if the swelling continues, it will block your airway and can be life-threatening.

The piercing may also cause nerve damage, resulting in tongue numbness, which can be permanent. An injured nerve will affect your sense of taste and tongue movement. This may, in turn, affect your eating and speech capabilities. After getting a tongue piercing, you are likely to play around with your piercing by hitting it against your teeth. You may also bite against your piercing, and this can cause your teeth to crack or chip over time.

What We Will Do to Treat the Damages from Oral Piercings

If your oral piercing gets infected, you should see us for treatment once you notice the symptoms. We will examine your piercing and clean it to remove bacteria. We will then prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection. With the help of our oral surgeons, we will also perform surgical procedures to treat injured nerves.

If your teeth chip or crack due to the constant hitting by your oral piercing, we will restore them with fillings or crowns depending on the size of the cracks. We will also encourage you to maintain good oral hygiene and schedule regular visits to maintain a healthy mouth. For more details on oral piercings, contact our office today.

Dental Blog | Optimum Oral Surgery Group
At Optimum Oral Surgery Group, Dr. Donald G. Rebhun has created this informative blog to help educate the community. Read the dental blog posts here.
Optimum Oral Surgery, 21 E Main Street, Moorestown, NJ 08057 - (856) 437-4432 - optimumoralsurgery.com - 3/25/2023 - Page Phrases: oral surgeon Moorestown Voorhees Mullica Hill -