Building Good Habits for Happy Teeth
Adolescent Dentistry
1. Tongue Piercing - Is It Really Cool?
You might not be surprised anymore to see people with pierced tongues, lips or cheeks, but you might be surprised to know just how dangerous these piercings can be. There are many risks involved with oral piercings, including chipped or cracked teeth, blood clots, blood poisoning, heart infections, brain abscess, nerve disorders (trigeminal neuralgia), receding gums or scar tissue. Your mouth contains millions of bacteria, and infection is a common complication of oral piercing. Your tongue could swell large enough to close off your airway!
Common symptoms after piercing include pain, swelling, infection, an increased flow of saliva and injuries to gum tissue. Difficult-to-control bleeding or nerve damage can result if a blood vessel or nerve bundle is in the path of the needle. So follow the advice of the American Dental Association and give your mouth a break – skip the mouth jewelry.
2. Tobacco - Bad News In Any Form
You might not be surprised anymore to see people with pierced tongues, lips or cheeks, but you might be surprised to know just how dangerous these piercings can be. There are many risks involved with oral piercings, including chipped or cracked teeth, blood clots, blood poisoning, heart infections, brain abscess, nerve disorders (trigeminal neuralgia), receding gums or scar tissue. Your mouth contains millions of bacteria, and infection is a common complication of oral piercing. Your tongue could swell large enough to close off your airway!
If your child is a tobacco user you should watch for the following that could be early signs of oral cancer:
- A sore that won’t heal.
- White or red leathery patches on the lips, and on or under the tongue.
- Pain, tenderness or numbness anywhere in the mouth or lips.
- Difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking or moving the jaw or tongue; or a change in the way the teeth fit together.
Because the early signs of oral cancer usually are not painful, people often ignore them. If it’s not caught in the early stages, oral cancer can require extensive, sometimes disfiguring, surgery. Even worse, it can kill. Help your child avoid tobacco in any form. By doing so, they will avoid bringing cancer-causing chemicals in direct contact with their tongue, gums and cheek.
Additional Topics
If you see a dental topic you would like to read more about, simply click the link in the table of contents to be taken directly to that section.
General Topics
- 1. What are Pediatric Dentists?
- 2. Why Are Baby Teeth Important?
- 3. Eruption Of Your Child's Teeth
- 4. Dental Emergencies
- 5. Dental Radiographs (X-Rays)
- 6. What's The Best Toothpaste For My Child?
- 7. Grinding Teeth
- 8. Thumb Sucking
- 9. What Is Pulp Therapy?
- 10. What Is The Best Time For Orthodontic Treatment?
- 11. Adult Teeth Coming in Behind Baby Teeth
Show More Topics
No Cavity Club
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