Lifestyle factors play a huge part in our general health and wellbeing and the same can be said when it comes to oral
health. There are many things associated with our modern day lives that seriously impact on oral health, such as diet and habits like smoking.
Many of the foods we consume are so packed with sugar, which affects our health as a whole, that it has a significant impact on the teeth and gingiva, causing decay and damage. Many seemingly healthy fruit juices contain high levels of sugar and acid, which attacks tooth enamel; and let’s not get started on those dreaded fizzy drinks!
Habitual factors, like smoking and alcohol consumption, can also affect periodontal health. Most people who smoke will
suffer with gum disease and both habits are leading causes of mouth cancer. These are common areas that we all discuss with our patients, but there are of course other factors to be considered, oral piercings for instance.
Express yourself
These may seem like a harmless expression of personality; in fact some of your practice staff may even sport a tongue or lip piercing. However, there are many issues that can arise from these types of piercings, so let’s start at the beginning. Much like anywhere else on the body a new piercing in the oral cavity is effectively an open wound,
making it prone to infections and healing problems. They can cause initial swelling, bleeding and bruising, which may lead to some patients to halt their daily oral hygiene rituals or, at best, be unable to carry it out fully. Although reputable body piercers will provide detailed aftercare advice the onus is on the individual to ensure their new addition is kept clean, but this will always vary from one person to the next. Unlike other areas of the body oral piercings come into contact with food and drink, which can cause further issues during healing. If the area is not cleaned properly after eating this can lead to a higher risk of infection.
Sometimes, with prolonged wear, oral piercings can cause damage to surrounding gum tissue and teeth through contact and friction. Some wearers may develop habits of running tongue piercings along the teeth, which over time can cause abrasion. Frequently doing this can also cause gingival recession that can subsequently lead to problems like tooth sensitivity.
Informed choices
So how do we deal with such situations within the dental setting? Of course everyone is free to make their own choices
so you can’t insist that patients remove their piercings. What we can do is help the decisionmaking process by providing advice that allows informed choices. Your patients are unlikely to ask you for advice on whether or not to go ahead and get an oral piercing, so ensure you have informative leaflets available, as well as a section on your website. Teenagers and young adults are most likely to consider an oral piercing so you may include this information as part of a tailored welcome pack for new patients or as an update for existing ones.
For those who have taken the plunge already and have some form of oral piercing the best thing to do is explain the extra measures they may need to take in order to keep their oral health at a high standard, and make them aware of what to look out for that may be early signs of a problem. Check the teeth and gums for signs of wear that may be related to the piercing, either due to habits or placement, if you notice anything due to the former then raise this with the patient. Many people do not even realise they have developed a habit of ‘playing’ with an oral piercing so it can be good to highlight if necessary.
Take action
Explaining the steps of a good oral care regime is essential for all patients but for those with oral piercings it gives you extra reasons to have this discussion. If a patient’s oral health has slipped due to pain or swelling from a new piercing, or they are avoiding cleaning certain areas because they don’t want to dislodge an existing one, ensure you explain where they are lacking and help them to address the problem. CS Toothbrushes from Curaprox are made using Curen filaments, rather than nylon, which make them gentle and fine yet still incredibly effective, while the compact head allows users to reach all areas. Even if the patient is brushing in the area of an oral piercing they will have easy and sensitive access.
Taking lifestyle factors into consideration when it comes to oral health comes naturally in terms of the obvious things, like nutrition and smoking, but it’s good to think about other aspects that may impact on our patients’ oral health and, essentially, their overall wellbeing.
References available on request.