protecting my teeth!

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Tuesday July 8th, 2008 @ 10:00 PM

Filed under: Tongue

I got my tongue pierced a week ago, and its healing fine and everything. I am a little worried about breaking my teeth because of the years and thousands of dollars in spent in braces. I talked to my piercer about wearing acrylic balls (I thought it might be softer and reduce damage to the teeth?). But he said that my body will ruin the acrylic by breaking it down and I will have to change the balls often so its not worth it… I am going to go into get my barbell resized soon too, so maybe that will help my paranoria about ruing my teeth… Are there any other materials/options I have for protecting my lovely lovely teeth?

Just a question I’d like to ask, was your paranoia about your teeth brought up when getting pierced? Did the piercer advise you that no problems whatsoever would occur with getting your tongue piercing?

The fact is damage to your teeth CAN be a issue with tongue piercings and no piercer worth their salt should down play this fact.

The thing with the majority of acrylic beads (mostly the externally threaded kind) is that they are not meant to be placed in a hot moist environment, such as the mouth. Also once in your mouth the saliva has enzymes that break down food and other matter. That coupled with the occasional accidental bite/chomp on the beads are what causes them to break.

There are a few companies out there that deal with Internally Threaded Dental Acrylic Beads/Attachments, but its very far and few between.

Normally when I do tongue piercings I tend to place it in a spot on the tongue where its not too far back, nor too far forward. Usually in this spot I find the majority of people are still able to talk fine initially and you don’t even hear any “clicking” sound. However with that being said I also point out to my clients that the possibility of tooth damage IS there and it CAN occur, then allow them to make an educated/informed decision on what they want to do.

And honestly if you’re so worried/paranoid about your teeth, perhaps a tongue piercing isn’t the ideal piercing for you? I’m not saying this to be mean or be all hating against tongue piercings. I’m simply saying it because if you care more for the wellbeing of your teeth, its always better to err on the side of caution. Because unfortunately there’s no acceptable material right now that’s currently in manufacturing that the enzymes in your mouth will not attempt to break down, except for Steel and Titanium (ie: metals).

But if you do want to keep it, just make sure you get your downsize barbell asap and make sure it fits properly and comfortably.

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