vertical labret?
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Tuesday July 29th, 2008 @ 9:59 AM
Filed under: Lip/Cheek
hi bme, i’d like your opinions here, please 
i’m considering a vertical labret piercing. i’d really like a side labret much better, but i’m quite concerned about side effects, mainly gum recession/teeth issues. my reasoning is, vertical labrets don’t actually go inside the mouth, it’s all through the lip and doesn’t break the inner skin. therefore (hopefully) not rubbing against my pearly whites nearly as much. what do you think? is this something reasonable to assume, or do vertical labrets typically cause an equal amount of teeth/gums issues?
thanks so much.
A vertical labret does not touch the teeth and gums. If you opted for a more off-center placement vertical labret, it still shouldn’t touch the teeth and gums.
If you want an off-center regular labret piercing you can minimize tooth and gum erosion by downsizing your jewelry after a couple weeks. I have my clients come back in two weeks from the piercing date for the initial downsizing and then again in a couple months when it’s fully healed up for a snug fitting barbell once the risk of it swelling up isn’t as high.
There’s no denying that labret barbells can wreak havoc on gums, but appropriately fitted jewelry will greatly reduce this risk and for some people, eliminate it!
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One Response to “vertical labret?”
I chose to get (paired) vertical labrets for the same reason, as non-oral lip piercings. Be warned they’re a very different piercing. Labrets sit relatively stably with an entry point perpendicular to the lip and supported by a flat back disc. Vertical labrets, however, involve piercing a significant distance (~8mm fistulas in my case) in a way that doesn’t always flow very naturally with the movement of your mouth. I found that even after two jewelry shortenings and replacing the ends with flat discs, they were still moving too much just in talking and other day to day activities that scarring was progressively accumulating and I just couldn’t get comfortable with them, constantly moving them back into place subconsciously with my teeth.
I had to come to the stay in a small town where I’d rather not stand out for a while anyway, and they were my only facial piercings other than septum, so after 3 months or so I figured it was as good a time as any to remove them. There are small scars a month later at the ends of the fistula, but most of the internal scarring, which felt light taught guitar strings when pulling the bottom lip into the mouth at first, has now resorbed and what remains is subsiding.
Although I can’t see myself getting any more piercings above the waist any time soon, if I ever wanted lip piercings again I would probably opt for high placed labrets, heal them with studs and switch to tight fitting seam rings when ready. Depending on how your lips usually sit, I imagine this could potentially mean only occasional gentle contact with the teeth, although it’s an aesthetic compromise compared to the slick look verts offer.
Perhaps others can comment on whether or not snug ball-less lip rings are gentler on the mouth than studs as I suspect. IANAP, just my 2c from my own recent experience. That and I just luuurv the sound of my own keystrokes…
redeye on July 30th, 2008 at 10:38 pmLeave a Comment