A form of lip piercing, where people place a stud in the middle of the bottom lip where it meets the chin may increase the risk of receding gums.
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The researchers emphasized that the problem occurs only with lip piercing that include a stud on the inside of the lip that hits the gum line, and only affects the part of the gums that touches that stud.Researchers measured the gum recession in 58 people. Twenty-nine had this type of lip piercing. They found that 40 per cent of people with this type of lip piercing had receding gums in their bottom front teeth, as compared to the 7 per cent of who did not have any lip piercing. The longer people had the piercing, the more likely they were to develop gum recession. Eighty per cent of the people with lip piercing for more than 36 months had gum recession.
Good brushing and oral hygiene is always helpful, but there's no way people can prevent recession if they wear an object that constantly rubs up against their gum line.
March 2005
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