Oral Piercing and Your Health
Oral piercing is becoming more prevalent in society. Young adults, athletes, musicians, and many more are piercing their lips or tongue to make a statement. Before making the decision to visit a piercing parlor, it is important to know the risks and side effects that can be involved with oral piercing.
According to the Academy of General Dentistry, one out of every five oral piercings results in infection from contaminated puncture wounds. The mouth is a host for a vast amount of bacteria. The actual piercing site could be considered a wound in the mouth, which is susceptible to infection. There is a chance that the bacteria from the mouth or handling of the jewelry could enter the bloodstream and lead to endocarditis (inflammation of the heart or its valves). The chance of transmitting herpes simplex virus and hepatitis B and C is also a potential risk.
If nerves have been damaged from the piercing, numbness or loss of sensation could occur. Tongue swelling from infection or trauma could block the airway and cause difficulty breathing. Dislodging and aspirating the barbell, etc. is also possible which can restrict the airway. For athletes, especially contact sports, this is more common.
Teeth that come in contact with the jewelry can be damaged by chipping or cracking. One study shows 47% of people wearing barbell tongue jewelry for 4 or more years had at least one chipped tooth. Jewelry can also interfere with salivary function because the actual jewelry stimulates salivary flow. Temporary or permanent drooling has been reported. Speech can be affected and taste can be altered.
Oral piercing is definitely not recommended! If you decide to have the oral piercing, it is important to consider the health and safety precautions taken at the piercing parlor of your choice. Ask a friend with a positive experience for a referral. Make sure the studio has a clean appearance especially in the area where the piercing is done. Ask if they use hospital-grade autoclaves for sterilization and/or use disposable instruments. Disposable gloves should be used. Ask to see health certificates. All staff members who are involved in the piercings should be vaccinated against hepatitis B. All needles and jewelry should be in sterilized packaging.
If you have questions please feel to Contact me. James Merrett DDS 808-873-0707
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Oral Piercing and Your Health
Oral piercing is becoming more prevalent in society. Young adults, athletes, musicians, and many more are piercing their lips or tongue to make a statement. Before making the decision to visit a piercing parlor, it is important to know the risks and side effects that can be involved with oral piercing.
According to the Academy of General Dentistry, one out of every five oral piercings results in infection from contaminated puncture wounds. The mouth is a host for a vast amount of bacteria. The actual piercing site could be considered a wound in the mouth, which is susceptible to infection. There is a chance that the bacteria from the mouth or handling of the jewelry could enter the bloodstream and lead to endocarditis (inflammation of the heart or its valves). The chance of transmitting herpes simplex virus and hepatitis B and C is also a potential risk.
If nerves have been damaged from the piercing, numbness or loss of sensation could occur. Tongue swelling from infection or trauma could block the airway and cause difficulty breathing. Dislodging and aspirating the barbell, etc. is also possible which can restrict the airway. For athletes, especially contact sports, this is more common.
Teeth that come in contact with the jewelry can be damaged by chipping or cracking. One study shows 47% of people wearing barbell tongue jewelry for 4 or more years had at least one chipped tooth. Jewelry can also interfere with salivary function because the actual jewelry stimulates salivary flow. Temporary or permanent drooling has been reported. Speech can be affected and taste can be altered.
Oral piercing is definitely not recommended! If you decide to have the oral piercing, it is important to consider the health and safety precautions taken at the piercing parlor of your choice. Ask a friend with a positive experience for a referral. Make sure the studio has a clean appearance especially in the area where the piercing is done. Ask if they use hospital-grade autoclaves for sterilization and/or use disposable instruments. Disposable gloves should be used. Ask to see health certificates. All staff members who are involved in the piercings should be vaccinated against hepatitis B. All needles and jewelry should be in sterilized packaging.
Oral piercing is becoming more prevalent in society. Young adults, athletes, musicians, and many more are piercing their lips or tongue to make a statement. Before making the decision to visit a piercing parlor, it is important to know the risks and side effects that can be involved with oral piercing.
According to the Academy of General Dentistry, one out of every five oral piercings results in infection from contaminated puncture wounds. The mouth is a host for a vast amount of bacteria. The actual piercing site could be considered a wound in the mouth, which is susceptible to infection. There is a chance that the bacteria from the mouth or handling of the jewelry could enter the bloodstream and lead to endocarditis (inflammation of the heart or its valves). The chance of transmitting herpes simplex virus and hepatitis B and C is also a potential risk.
If nerves have been damaged from the piercing, numbness or loss of sensation could occur. Tongue swelling from infection or trauma could block the airway and cause difficulty breathing. Dislodging and aspirating the barbell, etc. is also possible which can restrict the airway. For athletes, especially contact sports, this is more common.
Teeth that come in contact with the jewelry can be damaged by chipping or cracking. One study shows 47% of people wearing barbell tongue jewelry for 4 or more years had at least one chipped tooth. Jewelry can also interfere with salivary function because the actual jewelry stimulates salivary flow. Temporary or permanent drooling has been reported. Speech can be affected and taste can be altered.
Oral piercing is definitely not recommended! If you decide to have the oral piercing, it is important to consider the health and safety precautions taken at the piercing parlor of your choice. Ask a friend with a positive experience for a referral. Make sure the studio has a clean appearance especially in the area where the piercing is done. Ask if they use hospital-grade autoclaves for sterilization and/or use disposable instruments. Disposable gloves should be used. Ask to see health certificates. All staff members who are involved in the piercings should be vaccinated against hepatitis B. All needles and jewelry should be in sterilized packaging.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
FDA Rules on Merury Fillings
FDA Rules on Mercury Fillings
Last week the Federal Drug Administration ruled that the use of Mercury in the mouth for Mercury-Silver fillings, known as Amalgams, is safe. This came as a surprise to some anti-Amalgam groups who have claimed that the Mercury can cause many maladies in humans. Even President Obama had made statements against Mercury exposure.(See below Articles and Links) The FDA made this ruling after review of documents showing adverse effects of Mercury in higher exposures. They felt smaller amounts of Mercury would be safe.
Even though the FDA ruled that the use of Mercury is safe in the mouth, (but, not in the water, air, or spilled on the floor), many people are still leery of having Mercury placed into their mouths. Some have had their old Mercury fillings replaced with gold inlays, porcelain inlays, or resin fillings to ease their fears of the Mercury in their mouths.
If you would like more information about Mercury fillings or the alternatives to Mercury fillings you can ask your dentist. If you do not have a dental home I invite you to give my office a call and schedule an examination to evaluate your situation and your needs.
"Exposure to mercury leads to serious developmental problems in children as well as problems affecting vision, motor skills, blood pressure, and fertility in adults," said Obama. "Despite our country's improved efforts to contain and collect mercury over the years, we remain one of the world's leading exporters of this dangerous product, so I am proud this bill will finally ban mercury exports."
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/green/President_Bush_Signs_Obama_s_Mercury_Export_Ban_into_Law.html
AND OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE:
"Mercury poses a serious threat to public health in communities around the world," said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "Today, the world's environmental leaders agreed that we must take immediate action to reduce mercury emissions. The United States will play a leading role in working with other nations to craft a global, legally binding agreement that will prevent the spread of mercury into the environment and improve the health of workers, pregnant women, and children throughout the world."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/press_releases/february_20_2009/
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009, the FDA “issued a final regulation classifying dental amalgam and its component parts – elemental mercury and a powder alloy—used in dental fillings. While elemental mercury has been associated with adverse health effects at high exposures, the levels released by dental amalgam fillings are not high enough to cause harm in patients. The regulation classifies dental amalgam into Class II (moderate risk).” (http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm173992.htm)
Last week the Federal Drug Administration ruled that the use of Mercury in the mouth for Mercury-Silver fillings, known as Amalgams, is safe. This came as a surprise to some anti-Amalgam groups who have claimed that the Mercury can cause many maladies in humans. Even President Obama had made statements against Mercury exposure.(See below Articles and Links) The FDA made this ruling after review of documents showing adverse effects of Mercury in higher exposures. They felt smaller amounts of Mercury would be safe.
Even though the FDA ruled that the use of Mercury is safe in the mouth, (but, not in the water, air, or spilled on the floor), many people are still leery of having Mercury placed into their mouths. Some have had their old Mercury fillings replaced with gold inlays, porcelain inlays, or resin fillings to ease their fears of the Mercury in their mouths.
If you would like more information about Mercury fillings or the alternatives to Mercury fillings you can ask your dentist. If you do not have a dental home I invite you to give my office a call and schedule an examination to evaluate your situation and your needs.
"Exposure to mercury leads to serious developmental problems in children as well as problems affecting vision, motor skills, blood pressure, and fertility in adults," said Obama. "Despite our country's improved efforts to contain and collect mercury over the years, we remain one of the world's leading exporters of this dangerous product, so I am proud this bill will finally ban mercury exports."
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/green/President_Bush_Signs_Obama_s_Mercury_Export_Ban_into_Law.html
AND OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE:
"Mercury poses a serious threat to public health in communities around the world," said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "Today, the world's environmental leaders agreed that we must take immediate action to reduce mercury emissions. The United States will play a leading role in working with other nations to craft a global, legally binding agreement that will prevent the spread of mercury into the environment and improve the health of workers, pregnant women, and children throughout the world."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/press_releases/february_20_2009/
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009, the FDA “issued a final regulation classifying dental amalgam and its component parts – elemental mercury and a powder alloy—used in dental fillings. While elemental mercury has been associated with adverse health effects at high exposures, the levels released by dental amalgam fillings are not high enough to cause harm in patients. The regulation classifies dental amalgam into Class II (moderate risk).” (http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm173992.htm)
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