Keeping Your Teeth Healthy with an Oral Piercing
These days oral piercings are becoming more and more popular. From smileys to medusas, tongue piercings to lip piercings, and even cheeks, there’s something for everyone. However, have you ever wondered about the relationship between your oral piercing and your dental health? If you already have an oral piercing, or you are thinking about getting one, it’s important to know the right steps to keep your teeth healthy and maintain good oral hygiene.
Go to a Reputable & Qualified Piercer
If you are interested in getting an oral piercing, it’s important that you choose a qualified and professional piercer. This will ensure that they practice both safe sterilization and piercing techniques which helps reduce the risk of infection by the introduction of bacteria into your mouth.
The Importance of Proper Oral Piercing Placement
In order for your oral piercing to be comfortable, and to help protect your oral health, it must be placed appropriately.
Tongue Piercing Placement
The proper placement for a tongue piercing is essentially in the center of the mouth: around a quarter inch back from the tip of the tongue and along the tongue’s midline. Tongue piercings are commonly placed with the top slightly further back and toward the upper palate where there is more room, it’s farther away from the teeth, and it allows the tip of the jewelry to lean back slightly.
Lip and Cheek Piercing Placement
When your piercer is determining the best placement for your lip or cheek piercing, it’s important that the jewelry is positioned so that it rests in a neutral spot inside the mouth. When you are getting pierced, it should be at a perpendicular angle to avoid the jewelry resting at a sharp one.
Proper Jewelry & Sizing
The best way to prevent intra-oral damage is to wear the appropriate jewelry for an oral piercing.
When you are selecting jewelry for your oral piercing, take the following tips into consideration:
- Make sure the jewelry is the correct style for the anatomy of your mouth and the placement of your piercing.
- Make sure you get properly sized jewelry. When you first get pierced, the jewelry should be longer to allow for any swelling during the healing process. After the healing process, the jewelry needs to be downsized to a shorter length, which will help you avoid any damage to your teeth.
- Make sure that any threaded ends are screwed on securely so they don’t come loose and put you at risk of choking. Screw them tighter each morning to ensure your jewelry remains in place.
- For tongue piercings, make sure you wear a smaller ball on the underside of your tongue to avoid your jewelry coming into contact with the soft tissue area located there.
- Make sure any disc backings do not catch on your gums when eating or speaking, as this can lead to gum recession.
When you’re ready to downsize your jewelry, we have a large selection of tips, rings, and more to suit your specific style.
Practice Good Oral Hygiene
If you have an oral piercing, it’s especially important that you keep up a good oral hygiene routine. This means brushing and flossing daily as well as going to the dentist regularly for check-ups.
Additionally, it’s important that you don’t play with your jewelry, which includes: clicking it against your teeth, chewing on it, or moving it around in your mouth with your fingers.
If you participate in any sports, it is recommended that you remove the piercing for the time being to avoid any trauma to the area.
Written by Jackie Rachel
