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Short-term
style can cause long-term problems for your dental health.
Drs. Steve
Gustafson and Shari Morningstar are concerned about the growing number
of young patients they’re seeing with body piercings in the tongue,
upper and lower lips, and the metal jewelry worn in those piercings.
Both
dentists believe what a patient does is his or her own business, and
they understand body piercings are a reflection of an individual’s
preference in style and self expression.
Having a piece
of metal in your mouth goes beyond style, though.
It can chip
teeth and cause problems ranging from surface damage to more serious
issues such as infection, a fractured tooth, or permanent nerve damage,
which can require extensive dental restoration.
“The most
likely area for damage is the front lower teeth, from the barbells,”
says Dr. Gustafson. Pierced-tongue jewelry, also known as a barbell, is
exactly what you would picture. It is a short, straight piece of
surgical steel inserted through the tongue after it’s been pierced.
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Two small
steel balls screw onto the ends of the inch-long piece of steel to hold
it in place. The damage occurs when someone with a barbell moves it
around inside their mouth, hitting their teeth with the metal. “Just
playing with them, clacking them against their teeth while they’re
talking, for example, can cause damage. And they get stuck between the
teeth,” Dr. Gustafson says.
“The barbell
also comes into contact with the surface of the teeth when they eat,”
he adds. “You can’t really help it because the tongue is designed
to move a certain way when you eat. The barbell moves with it and comes
into contact with the teeth.”
At the very
least, teeth end up chipped, but worse, they can be fractured. “When
you fracture a tooth, you can damage the nerve as well. This can lead
to root canal treatment and caps (crowns).”
Other
potential risks and adverse outcomes include pain, post-placement edma,
prolonged bleeding, gingival injury, permanent numbness and loss of
taste, according to one study. And the Nation Institute of Health has
identified piercings as a possible vehicle for the transmission of
hepatitis B, C, D and G and HIV (see story at right for definitions of
hepatitis.)
Neither
dentist believes in lecturing patients about body piercings.
“That’s not what we’re here for,” Dr. Gustafson says. “What
we will do is advise a patient of the consequences of the piercing and
wearing metal jewelry in the mouth. We’ll also ask if they’ve
suffered any side effects from the piercings to see if we can help.”
Swelling is a
common side effect, particularly with tongue piercing. “Sometimes the
swelling doesn’t go down for a day or two – if people are
concerned, they should call us so we can take a look and make certain
it’s a normal reaction to the piercing.
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Understanding
Hepatitis
 Hepatitis
is generally defined as an inflammation
of the liver. Here’s
a look at
the different types of hepaptitis that can be caused by tongue
piercing.
Hepatitis
B - Inflammation of the liver due to the hepatitis B virus (HBV),
once thought to be passed only through blood products. It is now
known that hepatitis B can also be transmitted via needle
sticks, body piercing and tattooing using un sterilized
instruments, the dialysis process, sexual and even less intimate
close contact, and childbirth. Symptoms include fatigue,
jaundice, nausea, vomiting, dark urine, light stools. Diagnosis
is by blood test. Treatment is via anti-viral drugs and/or
hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG).
Hepatitis
C - Inflammation of the liver due to the hepatitis C virus (HCV),
which is usually spread by blood transfusion, hemodialysis, and
needle sticks. HCV causes most transfusion-associated hepatitis,
and the damage it does to the liver can lead to cirrhosis and
cancer. Transmission of the virus by sexual contact is rare. At
least half of HCV patients develop chronic hepatitis C infection.
Diagnosis is by blood test. Treatment is via anti-viral drugs.
Chronic hepatitis C may be treated with interferon, sometimes in
combination with anti-virals.
Hepatitis
D - Liver inflammation due to the hepatitis D virus (HDV),
which only causes disease in patients who already have the
hepatitis B virus. Transmission is via infected blood, needles, or
sexual contact with an infected person. Symptoms are identical to
those of hepatitis B. Chronic infection with HDV is currently
treated with interferon, although it is not very successful.
Hepatitis
G - A rare form
of liver inflammation caused by infection with the so-called
hepatitis G virus, which may be a mutation of hepatitis B. There
is no vaccine or treatment for hepatitis G, although anti-viral
drugs may be tried.
Source:
Medicinenet.com |
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