Piercing Your Tongue Can Cause Gapped Teeth

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Dental News
The Journal of Clinical Orthodontics has published a case study involving a 26-year-old woman who needed braces -costing thousands of dollars- to correct a gap in her teeth caused by a tongue piercing she received 7 years early.

The case study is considered to be common among those with metal studs inserted into their tongues according to dental researchers at the University of Buffalo which collected photos from the patient that showed she had no diastema, or space, between her upper central incisors prior to receiving the tongue piercing.

A previous survey by the university's dental school found that tongue piercings caused high school students in Buffalo to pick up this habit, which the students called "playing."

Pierce The Tongue Today; Pay The Orthodontist Tomorrow
Based upon the position of the space, the researchers concluded that the young woman created the midline gap by pushing the barbell-shaped stud against her upper front teeth every day for seven years.

"It is a basic tenet of orthodontics that force, over time, moves teeth," said Swansan Tabbaa, an assistant professor of orthodontics at the university's School of Dental Medicine and lead researcher on the case study.

"The barbell is never removed because the tongue is so vascular that leaving the stud out can result in healing of the opening in the tongue," Tabbaa said. "So it makes perfect sense that constant pushing of the stud against the teeth every day with no break will move them or drive them apart."

Related Blog Posts
Oral Piercings Cause Dental Problems In Teens ( July 5, 2008 )
The Health Risks of Oral Piercings ( July 9, 2009 )