Wellness - Healthy Living | Mind & Body

Tongue-in-Bleak

By Scott Lafee
Tongue-in-Bleak
Those little barbell-shaped tongue studs may look cool (well, at least to some people), but they are bad news for teeth.
“It’s a basic tenet of orthodontics that force, over time, moves teeth,” said Sawsan Tabbaa, an assistant professor of orthodontics at the University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine.
A survey of Buffalo high-school students with the mouth jewelry found that the studs regularly chipped teeth and caused them to move as wearers banged or pressed them against their teeth over time. In a case reported in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, for example, a 26-year-old female patient required braces after wearing a tongue stud every day for seven years. She had habitually pressed it against the back of her front teeth, eventually causing a space to open up. Tongue piercing presents other health risks as well, said Tabbaa. It is associated with hemorrhaging, infection, trauma to the gums and, in the worst cases, brain abscesses. “The best way to protect your health, your teeth and your money is to avoid tongue piercing,” Tabbaa said.
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