Dental piercing

Case contributed by Ashesh Ishwarlal Ranchod
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Restrained driver in a low-velocity motor vehicle accident with neck pain and headache.

Patient Data

Age: 40 years
Gender: Male
x-ray

Incidental finding of dental or tooth piercings of the right and left central maxillary incisors, specifically a "US Dollar" and a "Playboy" logo on the open mouth or odontoid view. There are mandibular veneers, mandibular dental amalgams and an impacted partially erupted left mandibular 3rd molar tooth.

The visualized C1/C2 articulation is intact.

Disclosure:  I, Ashesh Ishwarlal Ranchod, have no actual or potential ethical or financial conflict of interest in relation to the devices. This case is not intended to be a personal endorsement or recommendation of this product.

Case Discussion

Dental or tooth piercings are also known as tooth "gems". This entails placing jewelry, a gem or a stone onto a tooth of the mouth.

Tooth piercings can dislodge unexpectedly and hence can be swallowed during eating, drinking or swallowing.

Dental complications of these piercings include reactions to the tooth enamel, gums, lips, and oral cavity. These include dental sensitivity, enamel wear and abrasions, local allergic reactions, gum and oral cavity inflammation and infection, and labial pressure erosion or irritation1.2.

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