Every day I get a large number of news stories in my inbox. Some from ModBlog readers (Botexty, Quinnchick and Nexizydrate, I’m looking at you), but mostly from google news alerts. The problem with google news alerts is sometimes I’ll get stories that are unrelated to mods completely. To give a quick example, every day, for the past few months, I’ve gotten at least one story regarding the casting choices for the American remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. While the original films are fantastic, I just want the US ones made so I don’t have to hear the latest Hollywood casting gossip.
While I do get unrelated stories all the time, I do get quite a few stories that are relevant, and some that are ModBlog worthy. Then, every once in a while, I get a story that makes my eyes roll. This is one of them.
Tongue piercing was a ritual tradition of the Maya and the Aztecs, ancient and — apparently — gap-toothed peoples. Now the dental cause and effect has been established: Those who choose to pierce their tongues run the risk of developing a gap between their teeth, says a report from the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine.
Lets just stop right there for a moment. A study was conducted to find out if someone put a piece of metal in their mouth, and over the course of several years of constantly pressing it against ones teeth, it would cause dental problems.
The case study, led by Sawsan Tabbaa, an assistant professor of orthodontics at the UB School of Dental Medicine, involved a 26-year-old female patient who had developed a large space between her upper front teeth. She’d had a barbell-shaped tongue stud inserted seven years earlier.
The patient reported “playing” on a daily basis with her stud — a term commonly used by people with tongue piercings to describe the habit of pushing the metal stud up against and between their upper front teeth. Over time, the patient’s front teeth separated, creating a gap large enough to permit her stud to push through.
The article basically goes on to pretty much state the obvious. It’s almost as if these people had never thought that metal + pressure = tooth movement. I wonder if they could invent something that could move the teeth to fix them. Like a metal bracing or something to slowly adjust the teeth over time.
Unfortunately this article will probably be cited repeatedly by people condemning oral piercings, not realizing that with proper care and awareness, the chance of a problem diminishes greatly.
We here at ModBlog feel much differently about piercings. Well, today is state the obvious day right? Anyway, here’s an recent addition to the tongue piercing galleries. The uploader is “9jlt-ajaaah”, and it was submitted to us from Tallinn, Estonia. I think the image sums up how I feel about people who think reporting the obvious can count as news.
BME/News and Modblog highlight only a small fraction of what
You have to admit that in a greater and greater amounts of people the blatantly obvious is becoming a necessity. Especially on health issues that can be created by many mods simply because they didn’t THINK about habits created with them, that should never be a habit in the first place.
You have to admit that in a greater and greater amounts of people the blatantly obvious is becoming a necessity. Especially on health issues that can be created by many mods simply because they didn’t THINK about habits created with them, that should never be a habit in the first place.
I am about to start my third year of dental school and I would like to confirm that, indeed, water is wet and pressure+metal=tooth movement. I have been following BME and ModBlog for years now and have several mods myself. It drives me absolutely CRAZY when dental research is reported incorrectly. You are absolutely right! And, I would like to add, simply pushing on a tooth with your finger can move it significantly if you do it consistently day after day. There are dental risks to oral piercings, but following the example of your screaming friend above (who appears to have acrylic balls and clean teeth–let’s assume she sees a dentist once a year for a checkup 😉 ) there is no reason you should have an unhealthy mouth with an oral piercing.
I am about to start my third year of dental school and I would like to confirm that, indeed, water is wet and pressure+metal=tooth movement. I have been following BME and ModBlog for years now and have several mods myself. It drives me absolutely CRAZY when dental research is reported incorrectly. You are absolutely right! And, I would like to add, simply pushing on a tooth with your finger can move it significantly if you do it consistently day after day. There are dental risks to oral piercings, but following the example of your screaming friend above (who appears to have acrylic balls and clean teeth–let’s assume she sees a dentist once a year for a checkup 😉 ) there is no reason you should have an unhealthy mouth with an oral piercing.
I don’t have any oral piercings myself, but one of my front teeth stuck out slightly. So I pushed on it everyday with my finger, and now it’s lined up with the rest of my teeth. It was AMAZING. I should patent that.
I don’t have any oral piercings myself, but one of my front teeth stuck out slightly. So I pushed on it everyday with my finger, and now it’s lined up with the rest of my teeth. It was AMAZING. I should patent that.
Why don’t we all just avoid moving teeth and get our tongues split instead of pierced?
Why don’t we all just avoid moving teeth and get our tongues split instead of pierced?
I think Eric’s on to something.
I think Eric’s on to something.
I don’t see what the problem is with this. 1, things in medicine have to be documented in literature, and 2, I have no doubt that a large percentage of people who get their tongues pierced don’t realize there’s any risk of this type associated with the practice.
I don’t see what the problem is with this. 1, things in medicine have to be documented in literature, and 2, I have no doubt that a large percentage of people who get their tongues pierced don’t realize there’s any risk of this type associated with the practice.
@Eric: LOL. Oh, if only I worked for a corporation that wouldn’t shit bricks if I did. Also, the pain factor.
@Eric: LOL. Oh, if only I worked for a corporation that wouldn’t shit bricks if I did. Also, the pain factor.
Needless to say, having a tongue ring and orthodontic braces…it’s not always the most exciting thing in the world. It sucks balls and your orthodontist will always have to put in his two cents.
I am mostly embarrassed by that article because I attend UB and I know people in that programme who shouldn’t be there.
Sky is blue, water is wet, and yeah, if you’ve got something in your mouth rubbing against your gums/teeth, corrosion is inevitable. Someone give this TA (yes, an ASSISTANT PROFESSOR is nothing more than a TA) an award.
Needless to say, having a tongue ring and orthodontic braces…it’s not always the most exciting thing in the world. It sucks balls and your orthodontist will always have to put in his two cents.
I am mostly embarrassed by that article because I attend UB and I know people in that programme who shouldn’t be there.
Sky is blue, water is wet, and yeah, if you’ve got something in your mouth rubbing against your gums/teeth, corrosion is inevitable. Someone give this TA (yes, an ASSISTANT PROFESSOR is nothing more than a TA) an award.
I’ve had my tongue pierced since i was 14, and i’ve had it stretched to a 6g since I was 16…all i hear from dentists, and even doctors, is that i need to take it out, its going to ruin the enamel on my teeth, etc etc….but I have yet to have ANY problems in the past 8 years with it. I have perfectly straight teeth and i haven’t lost any enamel.
I play with it all the time, and still, nothing…So this one woman with one piercing who decided to be ignorant enough to push the ring up against the back of her teeth constantly, every day….does not represent the community of pierced tongues.
I have friends who have 0g and 00g tongue rings with no issues…its all in a matter of knowing what certain things can do to your teeth and how to stop it…The medical community just wants to find any way possible to make piercings seem dangerous….
I’ve had my tongue pierced since i was 14, and i’ve had it stretched to a 6g since I was 16…all i hear from dentists, and even doctors, is that i need to take it out, its going to ruin the enamel on my teeth, etc etc….but I have yet to have ANY problems in the past 8 years with it. I have perfectly straight teeth and i haven’t lost any enamel.
I play with it all the time, and still, nothing…So this one woman with one piercing who decided to be ignorant enough to push the ring up against the back of her teeth constantly, every day….does not represent the community of pierced tongues.
I have friends who have 0g and 00g tongue rings with no issues…its all in a matter of knowing what certain things can do to your teeth and how to stop it…The medical community just wants to find any way possible to make piercings seem dangerous….