The Green Zone

Every month, we answer some of your most frequently asked questions surrounding oral health. Wondering why you wake up with bad breath in the morning? Curious how your dentist knows if you’ve been flossing or not? Let us know! We’ll ask our panel of experts to give you the 4-1-1 on everything you need to know so you can take charge of your oral health.

Q: My teenage daughter wants to get her tongue pierced, will this affect her oral health?

A:  I would advise against it! Fashionable and trendy as they are, tongue rings are not only a bacteria trap, but can cause a host of other problems! Just a few of the pitfalls include:

Chipped or Broken Front Teeth
The majority of patients we see with tongue barbells wind up with chips, cracks or fractures in their front teeth. These have to be repaired with fillings or crowns. And re-done repeatedly when those wear out!

Gum Surgery
As a Periodontist, I get referrals for surgical correction of damage caused by rubbing tongue barbells.

Swallowing
The barbell can come un-screwed and wind up being swallowed, and while it should pass through harmlessly, the long part can carry the risk of lodging or causing internal tears in the intestine.

Blood Loss
The tongue contains large blood vessels, and you’re in trouble if one of them is perforated. There is also the possibility of hitting and damaging a nerve.  Imagine life with a tongue that doesn’t work properly!

Lingering Pain
Tongue piercing has been associated with cases of neuralgia  – severe, long-lasting nerve pain.

Hepatitis or HIV
Unsterile instruments sometimes  spread these and other infections.

Infection
The mouth is moist and full of bacteria, and the tongue is home to major blood vessels, ideal for spreading infection to the brain and elsewhere.

Dr. Jonathan Richter DDS FAGD, is  a Periodontist and Prosthodontist, located in Great Neck, New York. 

http://www.cardiodontal.com/home.html

Do you have a question about your oral health? Let us know! Send your questions to info@ecodentistry.org or leave a comment here!

OK, dentists, hygienists and dental assistants… let’s be honest.

There is, has been or will be a time when we will look at the calendar and notice it is time to think about your continuing education requirements for re-licensure.  I practice in Maryland and we are required to have 30 CEU’s every two years. There are some specific courses we are required to have, but these only amount to about 8 hours or less.

We have all taken those courses on Aesthetic Dentistry where we are shown cases of full mouth restorations with too-white of teeth, or cases with twenty or more implants.  I’m not sure about you, but I can tell you that cases like that don’t walk into my office every day. So, I usually look for courses that I hope will be of use every day for the benefit of my patients. There have been countless courses in oral pathology, treatment planning, and restorative (the real life kind for both fixed and removable). While these are all great topics, my interest was sparked when I came across “Green Dentistry 101: The Case for Green Dentistry; Eco-Friendly Infection Control and Wellness Dentistry” presented by Ina Pockrass, co-founder of the Eco-Dentistry Association.  I thought it would be interesting,  it was close to home and the location had a nice luncheon. So I went.

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