Cracked or Chipped Teeth

No matter what part of your mouth is pierced, you’ll likely be fitted by your piercer with metal jewelry to hold the hole that the needle has made. This metal jewelry has the potential to cause damage by repeating hitting against your teeth. This can chip or crack your teeth, which will require treatment. Chipped teeth can be unsightly and cause problems with biting or chewing and may need a dental crown or other cosmetic dentistry done. Cracked teeth can be very painful as they expose nerves, which regulate your feeling of hot and cold in the mouth. You may have extreme sensitivity to hot and cold with your damaged nerves, and over time your teeth may suffer further damage from root exposure that cannot be reversed.

Gum Disease

When you first get pierced, your piercer will likely put a longer piece of jewelry in your mouth—especially the tongue—to accommodate the swelling that will occur as your piercing is trying to heal. These tongue barbells are ¾ inches in length. At this length, your piercing can rub or hit against your gums as you speak and chew, and this interaction can cause recession of the gums or injury to the gums. Gum recession can lead to gum disease, which can cause exposed tooth nerves and red and bleeding gums. Gum disease can also lead to tooth loss (from loose teeth) and tooth decay from lack of gum tissue to protect them. It’s important to have the correct size of jewelry after the swelling goes down to help prevent damage.

Infections, Bleeding, and Loss of Sensation

Getting an oral piercing opens a wound in your mouth that has the potential to get infected. Infections in your mouth from tongue piercings could cause severe swelling that may impair breathing. Cheap jewelry can not only harbor bacteria which can cause infection, but it can also come loose and pieces of the jewelry can fall out, causing a choking hazard. An experienced piercer who provides sterile, quality jewelry is important, as well as for proper placement of your jewelry—if your piercer hits a blood vessel, this will cause excessive bleeding. If they hit a nerve, you may experience numbness or lack of sensation in your mouth that may or may not go away.

Whatever your reason may be for considering getting pierced, consider the risks and potential damage that oral piercings can cause. Your smile needs to last a lifetime, so if you do get pierced, be sure to take care of your dental health and follow your piercer’s instructions for healing to prevent infections or tooth and gum damage.

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There are also psychological problems that can develop in people with an overbite. People, especially adults, with overbites are far less likely to smile, and they suffer from lower self-esteem. Correcting an overbite gives a more uniform appearance to face and allows the individual feel more comfortable while smiling and eating.

The treatment process for adults is not unlike that for a child and will need to be done over a period of time—months, and in some cases may take one or more years.

There are two causes that create an overbite:

• Skeletal where the bone causes the upper jaw to extend over the lower jaw, leading a misalignment of the teeth, and

• Dental caused by the patient’s abnormal mastication behavior, or by the teeth being too large for the space they’re meant to inhabit.

In mild cases there are several options for correcting this misalignment, but all will involve a form of treatment combined with braces.

Elastics and Spring Loaded Bite Correctors

Elastics or rubber bands placed on hooks present on the braces help to slow down bone growth in younger adults, or help to move the teeth back into a more aesthetically pleasing, chewing position in older adults. These along with spring loaded bite correctors, will bring the teeth back into alignment with the lower jaw and teeth. This is sometimes employed along with extraction. Extracting unnecessary molars that have caused the teeth to become misaligned can create space for the teeth to fit the jawbone correctly.

Orthognathic Surgery

In extreme cases Orthognathic surgery may be the only option for correcting the overbite. This is when there is a skeletal misalignment caused by the bones of the upper and lower jaw having grown at different rates or lengths. This is a hereditary issue that can be exacerbated by allowing a child to suck their thumb or a pacifier for extended periods of time.

The surgery is performed to shorten the upper jaw. Sometimes the overbite is caused by the lower the jaw being too short and surgery must be performed to lengthen the bone. It is an invasive surgery, as the bones do have to be exposed; however, if the situation is not dealt with, the overbite can cause more problems as you age.

The benefits of correcting an overbite far outweigh the available treatments and expense. Not only are you healthier, you’re able to smile and feel comfortable about your appearance. People who feel confident are more successful and happier with their lives.

If you’re having problems chewing your food due to an overbite, or if you simply yearn for a more confident smile, consult a dentist to find out what your options are for correcting the issue.

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