{"id":2021,"date":"2023-08-07T11:12:44","date_gmt":"2023-08-07T11:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/?p=2021"},"modified":"2025-06-24T06:33:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T06:33:46","slug":"the-lowdown-on-piercings-teen-smiles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/the-lowdown-on-piercings-teen-smiles\/","title":{"rendered":"the lowdown on\u00a0piercings <\/span>\u00a0& teen smiles"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Oral piercings are nothing new. For years, teens and adults alike have used lips, tongue and cheek piercings as a form of self-expression. At smilogy, we love what makes you \u201cyou\u201d. We know that piercings may be part of your teen\u2019s personality, but as dental professionals, we owe you the facts.<\/p>

Piercings (studs, barbells and rings) around the mouth pose greater health risks than many piercings elsewhere.<\/p>

Years of wisdom tells us that telling teens what to do never solves anything. Seriously, think back to when you were younger – your parents probably seemed seriously uncool.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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the risks<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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While not everyone with a lip, tongue or cheek piercing is going to experience side effects, there are some real risks that you or your teen should be aware of.<\/p>

According to the Australian Dental Association (ADA): \u201cIntra-oral and peri-oral piercings are invasive procedures that carry significant local and systemic health risks\u201d. These include:<\/p>

  • Infection due to bacteria surrounding the jewellery and when handling it<\/li>
  • Serious bleeding if the piercer hits a blood vessel<\/li>
  • Pain and swelling (in extreme cases, it can close off the airways)<\/li>
  • Cracked, chipped and fractured teeth<\/li>
  • Damage to any existing repair work<\/li>
  • Injury to the gums, which can cause them to recede or even become diseased<\/li>
  • Excessive saliva flow and drooling<\/li>
  • Struggles with chewing and swallowing<\/li>
  • Difficulty speaking normally<\/li>
  • Blood borne diseases (if tools weren\u2019t sterilised properly)<\/li>
  • Nerve damage<\/li>
  • Allergic reactions<\/li>
  • Trouble with future dental work<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    the law<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    The laws differ across Australia regarding whether teens can get piercings. Generally, children under the age of 16 need their parents\u2019 permission, although this is 18 in Western Australia.<\/p>

    In the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Queensland, it depends on the teen – they can get them without your permission if they\u2019re thought to be mature enough to make \u201creasonable judgement\u201d.<\/p>

    Obviously, once your teen hits 18, they\u2019re legally an adult. They can (and may) get whatever they want, regardless of your thoughts!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    minimising the risks<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    So, your teenager can\u2019t be persuaded. It\u2019s okay, we totally get it! If their mouth stays infection-free and the piercing doesn\u2019t interfere with their life, there are ways to protect them while they get on with it.<\/p>

    • Choose surgical stainless steel or titanium jewellery only<\/li>
    • Brush teeth twice a day and floss daily<\/li>
    • Gently brush the jewellery itself to remove bacteria<\/li>
    • Use antiseptic mouthwash after every meal<\/li>
    • Once healed, remove it while playing sports if you can<\/li>
    • If it\u2019s a tongue ring, get a plastic ring retainer. It\u2019s better for the teeth!<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      speak to us!<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      In an ideal world, you could bring your teen to us, we\u2019d advise against piercings, they\u2019d say okay, and you\u2019d be on your way. We don\u2019t live in that world!<\/p>

      However, at smilogy we are always on hand to offer advice where possible and help if anything happens to their smile.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Oral piercings are nothing new. For years, teens and adults alike have used lips, tongue and cheek piercings as a form of self-expression. At smilogy, we love what makes you \u201cyou\u201d. We know that piercings may be part of your teen\u2019s personality, but as dental professionals, we owe you the facts. Piercings (studs, barbells and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ih-teens-kids"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2021"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6780,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021\/revisions\/6780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smilogy.com.au\/dental-clinics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}