Do lip piercings damage your teeth?

Okay here's the deal.

Lip piercings:

The worry here is jewelry rubbing your teeth or gums. Steel rubbing your teeth causes wearing of the enamel (which is stronger, steel or your teeth?) and this is bad, as it will cause weakened and deformed teeth. Steel rubbing your gums is almost worse- your gums hold your teeth in place, and if they wear away (they don't regrow, you know) your teeth will actually fall out!

Damage possibilities-

Regular lip piercings:

a. CBR rings. A CBR ring is best, as it hugs your lip flesh better and doesn't make contact with your gums (anatomy dependent). A good piercer will place it so that it does not touch your gums or teeth too much. Keep an eye out for gums that look lower than normal or changes in the surface of your teeth, and wear small rings that don't extend too far into your mouth.

b. Labret studs. Since the stud actually rests against your teeth and gums constantly, this can be a problem. Do not use an overly long bar, and watch carefully. This may not be a problem, anatomy depending, but you may need to take it out to save your mouth. I have heard of one solution: a cream or something similar to what people with braces use, it coats the back of the stud so that it won't rub, but I don't know much about this (google is your friend, though)

Vertical lip piercings:

Use curved barbells, the only option of jewelry. These will not rub your teeth or gums unless pierced too far back (this is incorrect, it should lay on the line where your lips are moist from being in your mouth); the biggest danger is biting your lip and catching the jewelry, as again, steel is stronger than enamel, you can crack your teeth this way.

[Vertical lips are best for mouth damage]

Tongue piercings:

The best thing to do is remove the steel balls and replace them with plastic asap, and this will eliminate most problems associated with tongue piercings. Damage and cracks to teeth is most common, from biting steel balls- plastic balls will not do this, unless your teeth are uncommonly weak. The only other problem, really, is the top or bottom ball wearing at the gum line from incorrect placement or habit of running them along there.

[Note- other piercings are possible other than the common center. Horizontal tongue piercings are awful, likely to damage your teeth inevitably. Double piercings, called venoms, can increase risk to teeth cracking, as they are closer to the sides of your tongue and your teeth. Plastic balls are the best thing you can do for yourself]

They only damage your teeth if you rub the piercing against them. If you get one of these piercings and start developing a habit of rubbing them against your teeth, take them out - it'll wear away at your enamel and eventually ruin your teeth. If you just wear them properly, then you'll have no problems with them at all.

I can tell you from experience that tongue rings can lead to weak teeth, and not just from rubbing the ball across them or bitting them. When you have something, like a piercing in your mouth, your glands think that theres food. So it produces more than normal saliva, which in turns eats at your anamal and weakens your teeth. Ive had a tooth pulled because of this reason, and my dentist told me to take out my tongue ring because of this.

Hope this helps.

i know that side lip piercings can be harmful to both your gums and your teeth... but there are many people who don't have any problems. tongue rings can wear the enamel off your teeth, but if you really want it, stick with plastic balls on the barbells to prevent messing up your teeth. i have my vertical labret lip pierced. the fact that it won't mess with oral issues is a plus, but i love it just because it looks cool and it's different.

They say it can affect the enamal on your teeth. However, i had a side lip piercing for 5 years and it never affected or damaged my teeth. Keep it clean!

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My teeth arent damaged...

I don't see how it would damage them unless i like fell on my face and my stud jammed into my tooth. lmao.

Mine like touches my gums and the very bottom of my tooth anyways.

I've heard that they could lead to receding gums.

they can it depends what metal it is i think