So You Want to Pierce Your Tongue?

Oral piercing can cause pain, swelling, infection, drooling, taste loss, scarring, chipped teeth and tooth loss. Most dentists discourage oral piercing because of these risks.

Fractured teeth are a commom problem for people with oral piercings. People chip teeth on tongue piercings while eating, sleeping, talking and simply chewing on the jewelry. It is not unusual for the tongue to swell after being punctured, and in some cases the tongue swells so much that it can cut off your breathing. Infection can result from piercings. The tongue is covered with bacteria, so any infection can be serious. Bacteria can find its way into the bloodstream at the site of puncture.

Maintaining your piercing will decreased complications. Keep the piercing clean with antiseptic mouthwash after meals and brush the jewelry the same as you would your teeth. After the tongue as healed, take the piercing out and brush it daily.

Diabetes and Your Oral Health

How Does Diabetes Affect Oral Health?

Studies have shown that diabetics are more susceptible to the development of oral infections and periodontal (gum) disease than those who do not have diabetes. It is often more severe in diabetic patients.

How are gum disease and diabetes related?

Because diabetes reduces the body's resistance to infection, the gums are at risk for gingivitis, an inflammation usually caused by the presence of bacteria in plaque. Without regular dental check-ups, gum disease may result if gingivitis is left untreated.

What other types of problems could I experience?

Diabetics may experience burning mouth syndrome and fungal infections, such as thrush and oral candidiasis. Dry mouth (xerostomia) also may develop, causing an increased incidence of decay.

Why Do I Need X-ray?

Radiographic, or X-ray, examinations provide your dentist with an important tool that shows the condition of your teeth, its roots, jaw placement and the overall composition of your facial bones. X-rays can help your dentist determine the presence or degree of periodontal (gum) disease, abscesses and many abnormal growths, such as cysts and tumors. X-rays also can show the exact location of impacted and unerupted teeth. They can pinpoint the location of cavities and other signs of disease that may not be possible to detect through a visual examination.

Brushing with Toothpaste...Why?

Brushing with toothpaste is important for several reasons.

1. Toothpaste and a correct brushing action work to remove plaque, a sticky, harmful film of bacteria that grows on your teeth that causes cavities, gum disease and eventual tooth loss if not controlled.
2. Toothpaste contains fluoride, which makes the entire tooth structure more resistant to decay and promotes remineralization, which aids in repairing early decay before the damage can even be seen.
3. Special ingredients in toothpaste help to clean and polish the teeth and remove stains over time.
4. Toothpastes help freshen breath and leave your mouth with a clean feeling.

Biting Off More Than You Can Chew

In our fast-paced lives, many of us may be eating in a hurry, taking giant bites of our food to get done quickly and on to the next task. Fast-food restaurants advertise giant burgers and sandwiches as a selling point, but often those super-sized delicacies are larger than a human mouth.

Taking bites that are too big to chew could be bad for your jaw and teeth, says the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), an organization of general dentists dedicated to continuing education. At particular risk are people with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), which can restrict the range of acceptable bite size.

Cautions should also be taken with biting into hard food. People should always avoid chewing ice, popcorn kernels and opening nuts with their teeth, which can lead to chipping and breakage of natural teeth and restorations.

Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the last teeth to grow in the back of the mouth. The third molars usually will try to grow in at around age 17 to 21 years. Since that is considered to be the age when people become wiser, third molars gained the nickname, "wisdom teeth."

Actually, they are no different than any other tooth except that they are the last teeth to erupt, or grow into the mouth. They are just as useful as any other tooth if they grow in properly, have a proper bite relationship and have healthy gum tissue around them. Unfortunately, this does not always happen.

Common reasons for wisdom teeth removal include impaction, pain and crowding of the other teeth. Complications also can arise when wisdom teeth partially erupt. The broken gum acts as a breeding ground for bacteria.

Unless they grow in properly, third molars should be evaluated for extraction before complications arise.

Dental Sealants

By age 19, tooth decay affects nearly 70 percent of America's children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Left untreated, tooth decay, also known as cavities, may result in pain and infection. Surveys show the majority of all cavities occur in the narrow pits and grooves of a child's newly erupted teeth because food particles and bacteria are not easily cleaned out.

One highly effective option to help prevent cavities is dental sealants – a thin plastic film painted on the chewing surface of teeth. Dental sealants have been proven a safe and cost-efficient dental procedure for patients prone to cavities. Sealants act as a barrier to "seal-off" space between the tooth surface and any small food particles or bacteria that may otherwise cause a cavity in an "unsealed" tooth.

Paired with twice-daily brushing with a fluoridated toothpaste, a healthy diet and visiting the dentist twice a year to monitor the sealants' placement or bond on the tooth, properly applied dental sealants are 100-percent effective in preventing cavities.