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Tongue piercing via Shutterstock

Warning: Tongue piercings affect speech, sense of taste and cause drooling

Dentists are warning young people about the risks of oral piercings, especially when getting them done abroad or at music festivals.

DENTISTS ARE WARNING young people about the “significant risk” to their health posed by oral piercings which in extreme cases result in life-threatening illnesses and infections.

The Irish Dental Association (IDA) said that some issues may arise from piercings including the transfer of diseases such as Hep B, C and D, Endocarditis (inflammation in the heart), gum disease, nerve or tooth damage and allergic reactions to metals.

The IDA said that its members see an increase in the number of young patients presenting with oral piercing related issues between August and December every year.

“Anecdotal evidence suggests this may be due to young people attending music festivals such as Oxegen, going on holiday with their friends and also students preparing to start college,” the association said in a statement.

President of the IDA, Dr Sean Malone, said that the bottom line is that “anyone who gets an oral piercing will damage their oral health” and that damage will be irreversible.

Malone said that the risk of infection is heightened when people decide to get a piercing done abroad or at a music festival as the standards of hygiene may be lacking.

One of the more painful and unpleasant aspects of oral jewellery happens when the gums recede, the association said. In order to correct receding gums the patient must undergo painful grafting of the gum, a treatment which will help to alleviate some pain and infection but it can never return the gum to full health.

Other consequences of piercings may include some of the following;

  • Difficulty speaking clearly
  • Difficulty chewing and swallowing food
  • Chipped or damaged teeth
  • Gum loss
  • Sense of taste can be altered
  • Temporary or permanent drooling
  • Difficulties cleaning the jewellery
  • Overgrowth around the piercing
  • Swelling and bleeding
  • Difficulty with head/oral x-rays

Read: Dentists’ body expresses concern over illegal teeth whitening>
Read: 75 per cent of people do not avail of free dental check-ups>

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    Mute Ritchie Cooney
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    Jul 30th 2014, 1:10 PM

    Lovely thoughts and nicely written.

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    Mute Seeking Truth
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    Jul 30th 2014, 1:35 PM

    Thanks for your honesty. Both of my parents passed away in the past couple of years…one to cancer, the other suddenly with a heart attack. We must move on…and move on we do. But we will be OK if we take our time and grieve well. Congratulations on making it through the first year after your loss, and may your grief continue to ease with time.

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    Mute John Condon
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    Jul 30th 2014, 2:51 PM

    Who would honestly redthumb this comment.

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    Mute Ryan Carroll
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    Jul 30th 2014, 4:28 PM

    I’d recommend leaving a journal behind and doing one or more video messages, if you know you’re dying or at risk of it. Its all in how they say their goodbyes to u and what tone that leaves.

    This is how I did it. started the journal as if it was a biography, going back as far as I could remember.
    I put all my political musings and policy ideas into a separate one that if I come out OK I can turn into a book or something
    An aunts funeral not long before got me wondering what way I’d want that done. So I wrote a will, laying out s secular memorial no church,

    It used to irritate me to see generic catch all prayers and vague Eulogy’s not specific to the person. So I picked a friend who is like the brother I never had to do the eulogy.
    For the video message I got a haircut n metrosexual spit polish, a 9 hour sleep, picked a nice A&F sweater, jeans n shirt doing my best to look like I normally do n less of a pale tired burnout and made a video in the present tense talking to the memorial service. Made some joking refs to the family myths around death, said hi to the priest I knew sisters would bring to do a blessing despite the secular nature of the event, and said my goodbyes. Body language is relaxed and informal like I’m sitting in the room with them. I figured that way their last memory isn’t seeing me laying motionless (however peaceful) in the casket but sitting on a sofa in my nicer clothes smiling and alive, I think its a nicer memory to leave them with.

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    Mute sineady pie
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    Jul 30th 2014, 2:53 PM

    I could only hope to be so brave. You remind me of my mother.

    I wish you, your kitty and your family all the very best x

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    Mute Elaine Cassin
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    Jul 30th 2014, 7:11 PM

    I lost my aunt some years ago who was like a mother to me she died suddenly in st James hospital I was devastated, my whole world fell apart, then 5 years ago my dad died of lung cancer, he was my knight in shining armour, you never get over a loved one passing on you just learn to cope with it, and know they are happy and pain free..

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    Mute deel
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    Jul 30th 2014, 2:20 PM

    Thank you for sharing. ..yes life does go on and in time pain, loss, gets a bit easier to deal with and im sure your husband is loving every second of your new found happiness in life …

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    Mute Pauline Brennan
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    Jul 30th 2014, 3:34 PM

    Beautiful piece

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    Mute Clarence Tayto Sweeney
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    Jul 30th 2014, 6:12 PM

    The new fella could do with getting those teeth sorted out.

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    Mute Robin Tobin
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    Jul 30th 2014, 7:09 PM

    Beautiful writing so lovely and gentle choice of language.

    To parents who lost a child, that is to say the toughest grief my advice is take a moment at a time when your alone and deal with their memory and loss. Then fufil your day with plenty of tender loving care.

    To children who lose a parent , you don’t have the words to express how you feel. But if your sad and not in form to do much tell people I am sad. Mammy or Daddy is gone away. To the adult let the child express the emotions and if it has been a traumatic event that caused the death talk to Barnardo’s they give excellent advice.

    To the surviving sister, brother, son or daughter. You must grieve because grieving is a process of letting go and honouring the person who is gone with tears of admiration. Take your time set your own pace and don’t rush it.

    To all people grieving this article is excellent but allow yourself to live again when your raw emotions heal it normally can take uo to two years. For cancer deaths there is the awe stage of grieving and it can be confusing because you might have delayed onset of grief this is quite normal.

    Best treatment is to talk about the person gone. Some day you will think of them and not cry but move on to a better acceptance their gone.

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    Mute SeekingUniverslTruth
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    Jul 30th 2014, 1:24 PM

    nice but “jameson” as a baby boys name?

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    Mute Kenneth Gannon
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    Oct 4th 2014, 7:42 PM

    Lost both parents to brain tumours; my dad in 1998 and my mum in 2010. After my own dad’s death, whatever my own mum did afterwards, I respected and supported everything she did that kept her happy. After her own death four years ago, it started a long journey to move forward. There was no denying that I changed in certain ways and it wasn’t easy. There were things that I didn’t have the same enjoyment for as I previously did and there was a reluctance to do some things as it just would have brought back memories. I also developed new routines that would keep me positive. In the last year, I started to once again enjoy some things I used to do, but doing it in a different way. I may never have forgotten but in my own ways, I’ve moved on. It’s a journey that requires a lot of patience and understanding and every day is a new day, every step taken is a goal and every bridge crossed is an extension of a journey. The only person who knows when they are ready is oneself.

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