A piercing that you only see when you smile? That's the so-called smiley piercing. All information about the risks, pain and costs can be found here.
Table of contents
- Smiley Piercing: How the lip piercing is done
- Smiley piercing: How painful is the piercing?
- How much does a smiley piercing cost?
- Getting a smiley piercing: These are the risks
- Smiley Piercing: Everything about Healing and Proper Care
- Smiley piercing: This jewelry is available
The smiley piercing, also known as a frenulum piercing or lip band piercing, is a piercing in the mouth area - more precisely on the upper lip frenulum. The frenulum is located on the inside of the upper lip and connects the upper lip to the gums.
Since the piercing is only visible when smiling, it is usually simply called a smiley piercing. The smiley is also one of the most uncomplicated piercings, because the frenulum consists only of thin mucous membrane tissue. It usually heals quite quickly and rarely becomes infected.
We'll tell you what you absolutely need to know before getting a smiley piercing.
Very important first: The smiley piercing should - like all other piercings - only be done in a professional piercing studio. Amateur piercings could lead to severe infections.
You should also first check with a piercer whether the smiley can be pierced on you at all. Not everyone's frenulum is strong enough or intact enough to have it pierced.
Smiley Piercing: How the lip piercing is done
Getting a frenulum piercing is quite straightforward. Since the piercing is in the mouth, the piercing site is neither disinfected nor marked with a pen, as is usual with other piercings.
To ensure that the frenulum is tight and there is enough space for piercing, the upper lip is first lifted with special pliers. The piercing is then done with a hollow needle, through which the piercing is then inserted. Smiley piercings are usually 1.2 to 1.6 millimeters thick. If the thickness is less than 1.2 mm, there is a risk that the piercing will grow out.
When piercing, there is always a risk that the frenulum will tear. However, this should not happen in a professional piercing studio. In addition, the frenulum usually grows back together after a few weeks.
How painful is the piercing?
The smiley piercing is one of the least painful piercings of all. This is because the frenulum consists only of mucous membrane tissue, which has neither a strong blood supply nor nerves.
How much does a smiley piercing cost?
It is not possible to say exactly how much it costs to get a smiley piercing. The costs usually vary from studio to studio and from region to region.
As a rule, you have to pay between 30 and 60 euros for a lip piercing. The price usually includes not only the piercing itself, but also the initial jewelry and care products. It is best to get information from the piercing studio of your choice beforehand. Many piercing studios also have a price list online.
Getting a smiley piercing: These are the risks
Since the frenulum piercing is only done through mucous membrane tissue, inflammation or other complications rarely occur after piercing. The smiley is usually completely healed after two to three weeks.
However, since the frenulum is very thin, there is a risk that the piercing will grow out over time. The piercing can also be uncomfortable when eating.
The greatest danger, however, is that the smiley piercing can cause damage to the teeth or gums. Since the piercing exerts permanent pressure and friction on the teeth and gums, wounds can develop, the gums can recede, or even the tooth enamel can be worn away.
In the worst case, the frenulum piercing can even cause damage to the bone that lies beneath the gums, thus promoting chronic periodontitis. From a dental perspective, piercing the frenulum is therefore not recommended.
To avoid tooth damage, the right piercing jewelry is crucial. We recommend piercings with balls that are flattened on the inside or that do not have any balls at all.
Smiley Piercing: Everything about Healing and Proper Care
The smiley piercing should be completely healed after two to three weeks. However, as with other piercings, proper care is important. You should pay attention to the following things after piercing:
Keep your hands away from the piercing! The more you move it or play with it, the greater the risk of infection. If you have to, only touch the piercing with disinfected hands.
Spray the piercing two to three times a day (after every meal) with a special mouth spray and then disinfect it with a mouthwash to prevent the buildup of bacteria. You can get mouth spray and mouthwash at the piercing studio.
Brush your teeth regularly, but be careful not to accidentally rip out the piercing.
Avoid nicotine and alcohol until the wound has completely healed.
Also avoid acidic and spicy foods as well as dairy products in the initial period.
Smiley piercing: This jewelry is available
As soon as your frenulum piercing has completely healed, you can have the original jewelry that was used when you got it replaced with other jewelry. You should definitely do this with your piercer. If you change the piercing yourself, you run the risk of tearing the frenulum.
Particularly suitable for the smiley are specially developed ball closure rings (small rings with a ball) with a flattened lip band clamping ball, which protects the teeth and gums. As already mentioned above, the material thickness should be between 1.2 mm and 1.6 mm. The ring is smaller, there is a risk that the piercing will grow out. If it is larger, however, it will rub against the teeth even more.
If you want to cause as little damage to your teeth and gums as possible, you can also wear a barbell (a slightly shaped pin with small balls on the ends) as jewelry. However, it should be noted that the piercing is hardly visible, as a barbell is very small and is covered by the upper lip.
Important note: The information in this article is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for a diagnosis by a doctor. If you have any uncertainties, urgent questions or complaints, you should contact your doctor.
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