Oral piercings and tooth gems are forms of body adornment, but they live in an environment built for chewing, speaking, saliva, and bacteria. The risk is not limited to the day of placement. Jewelry can keep rubbing, trap plaque, or be bitten for months or years, so the relevant question is how the object interacts with teeth and soft tissue over time.
What can happen to teeth and gums?
Tongue, lip, and cheek jewelry can strike or rub against teeth. Repeated contact may chip enamel, wear a tooth, loosen a restoration, or irritate the inside of the lip or cheek. A barbell that is habitually clicked or bitten creates more mechanical stress than jewelry that is left alone.
Gum recession is another concern. When a stud or bar repeatedly presses on the gum, the tissue can move away from the tooth. Recession is not simply a cosmetic change: it can expose the root surface and make cleaning or temperature sensitivity more difficult. The American Dental Association also describes laceration, scarring, embedded jewelry, and infection as possible complications.
Tooth gems and grills can create a sheltered edge where plaque and food collect. That does not guarantee a cavity or gum disease, but it can make ordinary cleaning less effective. An adhesive, metal edge, or ornament can also obscure a small defect during a quick look or on an image.
Why does placement and removal matter?
The mouth contains many microorganisms, and a piercing is a wound. Swelling, bleeding, and infection can occur early; jewelry can also become embedded or aspirated. Poorly controlled instruments or improvised removal add risk. If jewelry is stuck, painful, associated with unusual discharge, or followed by rapidly increasing swelling, seek professional care rather than cutting or prying it out at home.
The ADA advises against cosmetic intraoral or perioral piercing and tooth gems/jewelry because the potential negative health outcomes outweigh a cosmetic benefit. That policy is a risk judgment, not a claim that every person will experience the same complication.
If someone already has jewelry
Do not play with or bite the jewelry. Brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and clean between teeth as the anatomy allows. During healing, follow the piercer’s and clinician’s aftercare instructions, and ask a dentist to check for recession, cracks, plaque retention, or tissue irritation. A shorter post may be needed after swelling settles, but that change should be handled through qualified care.
Tell the dental team about jewelry before an examination or procedure. They may need to see the tissue without obstruction, protect a restoration, or plan around aspiration and swelling concerns. Contact a dental or medical professional for persistent pain, swelling, bleeding, pus or foul discharge, a nonhealing sore, numbness, a chipped tooth, or jewelry that has become embedded.
The main idea: oral jewelry can create mechanical, plaque-retention, and infection risks that accumulate with time. A decision about keeping or removing it is personal, but it should be informed by the specific tissue and tooth changes a professional can examine.
Sources
- Oral Piercing/Jewelry — American Dental Association
- Dentists urge individuals to avoid oral fashion trend — American Dental Association News