The Problem with Titanium Wedding Rings
In recent years, titanium wedding bands have been positioned as the ring of choice for those with a rough-and-tumble lifestyle. And while these rings are durable, that’s exactly the problem – they pose a serious safety risk for folks who work with their hands or in dangerous environments. They can even be a threat if your fingers swell, especially if the band is thick.
Let’s take a look at why you should skip the titanium on your finger and give rubber wedding bands a shot.
Titanium Wedding Bands Are Difficult to Remove in Emergencies
Titanium is lauded for its strength (it’s used in aircraft for exactly this reason), but when you need a titanium ring removed quickly, its strength can be a tragic pitfall.
As NPR reports, titanium rings are hypoallergenic and less expensive than rings made of precious metal, but it takes bolt cutters to remove them. Even after snipping the ring, ER personnel still have to pry it apart, which takes considerable force.
Most hospitals are accustomed to removing wedding bands for a whole slew of reasons, including…
- Traumatic injuries from working with heavy machinery or from sporting accidents.
- Skin disorders.
- Allergic reactions.
- Bee stings.
In most cases, regular ring cutters do the trick, but not with titanium bands, and that makes them a special risk. If ER personnel aren’t familiar with removing these rings, it could be trapped on the finger for a long time.
And time is always of the essence in emergencies. If the ring restricts blood flow for too long, the tissue in the finger can die.
To learn more about ring finger injuries, read “5 Common Wedding Ring Injuries and How To Avoid Them.”
Why Rubber Wedding Bands Save Fingers (and Change Lives)
If you don’t want your wedding ring trapped on your finger, prevention is key. Most folks who work with heavy equipment already know to take off metal wedding bands. And plenty of people just get in a habit of removing metal rings before exercising, taking a hot bath, or going about their lives. That adds up to a lot of time spent not wearing a wedding ring at all.
But there’s a better way: rethink your ring.
A rubber wedding band won’t injure your hand or restrict blood flow to your finger if it swells. Here are a few other benefits of switching to a rubber wedding ring:
- It can spare you a costly trip to the ER.
- You don’t have to take it off, not even when you work.
- It’s flexible and can accommodate swollen fingers.
- You don’t have to fuss with resizing because it stretches.
- It fits an active, hands-on lifestyle.
- It’s made to break when it gets caught.
- It’s more affordable than metal rings.
Accidents happen without warning. Fingers swell when the temperature rises or when your heart rate accelerates. In short, life happens, and only a rubber wedding band can adapt to those changes.
To learn more, check out “What is a Rubber Wedding Band?” and “Bend and Break: Why Try a Rubber Wedding Band.”
