Braces and Oral Piercings

Have you seen the videos where people are getting their labret studs and tongue rings caught in their braces? OUCH. That has to hurt. Honestly, the simple saying here is don’t play with your piercings. We tell you not to even without braces but this is what can happen. I know, I know. I’m guilty of it too. The urge to fiddle with them constantly is real. 

Around 4 million Americans wear braces and even more than that if you count those with retainers and bridges. These are an important tool to improve dental health, self esteem, and for many they can be life changing. I remember going to school with a girl whose teeth stuck out of her mouth at about 45 degrees. It was actually scary. I refused to have braces as a teen and I’ve paid the price - I can’t actually bite down properly because my teeth don’t close. Moral of the story is get the braces. But what’s that got to do with piercings? The average time wearing braces is 1-2 years. It’s not horrifically long, so should you wait before getting oral piercings if you have braces? 

Types of Braces

There are three main types of braces. The most common and recognizable are metal wires with brackets attached to your teeth with bands and such which pull the teeth into alignment gradually by tension. Ceramic braces are similar but they are more subtle as the brackets are ceramic instead of metal. Lingual braces fit to the back sides of the teeth which makes them less noticeable however more difficult to eat with. 

Asides from traditional braces clear plastic tray retainers have also become popular. These are significantly less obvious than metal braces and are traded out every few weeks and taken out to eat.

Obviously any piercing you have/want is going to come into contact with these. 

Risks

Asides from the scary videos of people getting their piercings caught braces are very expensive and delicate. It’s pretty common knowledge that you can damage your teeth and gums with oral piercings so in the same way you can also damage your braces. These can cost thousands of dollars to fix. At best you’re looking at a monetary cost. At worst you risk derailing the process and months of additional wear to fix whatever has broken. 

With an initial oral piercing we always give you longer bars to allow for swelling. Even when the initial swelling starts to go down you cannot immediately change them out or you risk the piercing collapsing. Oral piercings swell A LOT so those bars are often much much longer than your final size. Once that swelling starts to go down it’s almost guaranteed you will catch it. Not only will this risk damaging the braces but you can also damage your piercing. This makes your healing longer and risks complications with your piercing also. 

Many insurance companies and orthodontists will not cover damage due to piercings. So you’re paying out of pocket. We’re all familiar with how common insurance refusing to cover things is becoming, and with piercings being a voluntary modification it’s not so surprising. You could be out thousands depending on the damage. 

Aligners

But what if you don’t have those brackets etc to get caught on? Clear aligners work very differently and if they catch you just take it out and put it back right? These do pose a much lower risk both to your teeth and your piercings but the risk is still there. The plastic can be worn down by the metal of your piercing or even cracked with enough force. There is also still risk that the pressure of a piercing can push the retainer in unwanted ways or cause ulcers. You’re still going to snag even healed piercings on these which, again, can damage your piercings too. 

So what’s the solution? 

Piercings are a voluntary choice while braces can be a medical necessity. Realistically your braces don’t have to stay on long but you can be left with scarring from the piercing or months of additional wear for your braces. It’s simply safer not to do any oral piercings while you’re wearing braces. The idea that you “have” to have it now is hubris. Waiting a few months and get it once they’re off is the only safe choice. You could even see the piercing as a reward for finishing your time with braces after!