Nowadays, the application of dental or oral jewelry is becoming a constant in the lives of patients.
But what comes first must be oral health and then these little artifices that patients want for various reasons.
The risk-benefit balance is not always weighed against the risk of oral jewelry, and often these devices can cause serious imbalances in patients’ oral cavities.
While enamel may become brittle with loss of hard enamel and dentine sensitivity following the application of dental jewelry, the manifestations of oral piercings may be more numerous and severe.
Although the application of oral jewelry has become an increasingly common practice, especially among young people, it is good for them to know what risks they may be exposing themselves to and also when to protect themselves.
Precautionary measures:
Cardiac pathologies – if the patient has severe cardiac malformations, antecedent bacterial endocarditis or valve prostheses, there is a considerable risk of developing bacterial endocarditis.
Thus, through the continuity solution installed in the oral cavity, infections can occur which seriously endanger the patient’s health.
Transmission of infectious diseases – the metal surface of the oral piercing can provide a medium for bacteria to settle. Thus, viruses such as herpes and liver viruses can be more easily transmitted through this piercing gateway.
Dental damage – tongue piercings can injure tooth enamel during physiological acts. Thus, when speaking and especially when pronouncing dento-labial phonemes, the metal jewelry may strike the lingual surface of the lower incisors and thus, as a result of the impact, fractions of enamel may detach.
On the other hand, during mastication and food bowl formation, small accidents can cause the piercings to get caught between the occlusal surfaces of the premolars and molars, which can lead to destruction at this level.
Small fractures in the enamel can be corrected by finishing or by resurfacing with composite materials.
Allergic or galvanic reactions – allergic reactions can occur in the oral mucosa when the piercing comes into contact with the mucosa if the patient is hypersensitive to the material.
Galvanism occurs when the piercing comes into prolonged contact with fillings or prosthetic work that has been made from a material other than jewelry.
Such reactions occur in the oral mucosa, where they can cause erythema, ulceration or discoloration.
Changes in nerve sensitivity – if piercings are poorly applied to the tongue and encounter nerve pathways, they can cause changes in sensitivity.
Thus, we may encounter paresthesia, perceived by the patient as tingling.
It is important for the patient to consider all these risks before opting for an oral piercing, in order to avoid surprises.
First of all, sanitizing the oral cavity through hygiene and removing risk factors such as caries and other oral pathologies is necessary to ensure the healthiest possible oral cavity in order to reduce the risks that may arise from piercing.
