It feels a bit weird not having a labret anymore. I touch the spot between my gums and my lower lip with the tip of my tongue, and I just cant quite get used to the fact that my labret piercing is gone. The hole itself has started to close a bit.
At A Glance Author martin7600 Contact martin7600@bme.anon When N/A Location Argentina I really didn't want to take off my labret, but I didn't have much of a choice. It was starting to "eat away" my lower gums, little by little. This had been happening for about a month and a half. I've had the labret for about eight months up until yesterday. So as my gums slowly started to become smaller and smaller I thought to myself "Ok, this will probably go one for about a couple of weeks, maybe a month, and then it will finally heal. Right?"
Wrong.
I woke up with a slight pain in my gums where the labret made contact. I reached with my hand and touched the gums with the tip of my fingers. It hurt. It wasn't really painful, kind of like when you hit your fingers with a hammer rather gently. Still, it seemed a bit odd, that it would still be sensitive after eight months, so I decided to go check with the guys at the tattoo/pierce studio I usually go. Now, this studio is not the same studio where I got my labret, but I did get my other piercing there, above the nose and between the eyebrows. You probably wonder "Why didn't you just go see the guy who did your labret piercing?" Well, he was out of town, and I was starting to get a bit worried, so I just went to see the guys at this other studio (who are great and responsible people). So, when I got there, I explained my case to the piercer, showed my gums, showed the jewel, etc.
Ok, I think its safe to say that body piercings are really subjective, I mean, not everyone's body reacts in the same way to similar piercings, sometimes you're not really sure just how you're body will react. It depends on a number of variables such as the material of the jewel, the sensitivity of the skin, the aftercare, etc.
The piercer told me that she could probably get a labret with a softer, more rounded end, but the result would be pretty much the same. If I just left it, it would probably keep on bothering me, and quite possibly I could kiss my lower-frontal gums goodbye.
Well, so much for that. I took a moment to analyze what was more important to me... my body, or it's accessories. I made the choice to take my labret off. Apparently I have weak gums. Damn gums (laugh).
But still, the piercer explained to me that the effect of labrets or rings that make contact with gums are likely to "eat away" the gums in most cases, due to the constant contact and vibration. I noticed a good analogy of this here on BME: you know how water dropping on a stone will eventually form a cavity in it, over millions of years? Well, steel on skin has the same effect, only that steel (or niobium or gold or whatever) is harder than water, and your skin is softer than stone. Also, if the piercing makes contact with the teeth, it can quite well chip them. I have a friend who had the same problem, and he went to a dentist. The dentist confirmed what the piercer told me. Its either your gums, or your piercing.
I guess I wrote this story because I know I'm not the only case out there, the only individual with rather weak gums. Also, if you're thinking about getting a labret piercing, you might want to go to a dentist first, and have them check your mouth. I'm not sure if they can determine if you have weak gums or not, but it would sure be a great help to know your body better, before you do something you'll regret later. My only regret is having to take the piercing off, because I didn't take the time to inform myself on the drawback of labrets. But hey, at least I learned from the experience.
So... to wrap things up, I removed the labret. But to make up for it, they agreed to make a trade, and I gave them my labret in exchange for an ear piercing, which I have had only for a little while, but already I'm beginning to love it. Yeah, its still a bit weird not having my labret... when I have no piercings on me (when I take them out for a good cleaning) it kind of feels like I'm naked.
Oh well, at least my labret has found a good home, I'll probably see it on the lower lip of one of the studio's employees next time I step in the shop (laugh).