Tongue piercings linked to gap between teeth

The research was carried out at the University at Buffalo in New York.

Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said the study highlighted the risks that tongue piercings have on oral health.

“It’s certainly something to think about before going out to get a tongue piercing. The temptation of playing with the stud in the mouth would be very high and in time this could lead to hundreds of pounds worth of corrective treatment,” Dr Carter said. “The results of this study stress the risks that are associated with tongue piercings. As well as causing an apparent gap, oral piercings can also lead to chipped teeth and infection.”

“In order to avoid such health problems in the future, along with the spiraling costs of any related treatment, I would advise people to stay clear of tongue piercings,” Dr Carter said.

Sawsan Tabbaa, lead author of the study, said that “force, over time, moves teeth” and that the results are caused by people playing with their studs crop up in a “very high percent of the cases.”

A professor of orthodontics at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, Tabbaa, explained that tooth damage was common in both past and current case studies.

The current study featured a 26 year-old female patient and showed that a space between the upper front teeth had appeared during a period of seven years, as the metal bar was pushed against and between the teeth.

The patient provided researchers with photographs to show that she had no diastema before having her tongue pierced. It was strongly thought that positioning of the tongue stud between the maxillary central incisors caused the midline space between the front teeth.

The only solution was for the patient to wear a fixed brace for an extensive period of time.

The author concluded that tongue piercings could result in serious injuries, not just to teeth but said they have also been associated with haemorrhages, infections, trauma to the gums and, in the worst cases, brain abscesses.

The results of the study were published in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics