55 Impressive Smiley Piercing Ideas – A Trendy Piercing to Complement your Smile
You have probably seen a smiley piercing or at least heard about it because it has been in trend for the last couple of years. Even if you do not know much about it, you can be sure that it will make you look stylish and it is also unique because few people have it.
Most people are still deciding what they feel or think about it, and so you can be confident that having one will leave your friends talking and asking questions.
However, just like any other types of piercing it is important to understand what it is all about, the advantages and disadvantages of having it and also the aftercare and risks of having this piercing.
Contents:
What is a Smiley Piercing?
In these modern times, you can pierce almost any part of the body that you want because modern technologies make it possible to do it safely. The smiley piercing is an uncommon form of body art that entails creating a hole on the frenulum.
If you are not sure what the frenulum is you should know that it is the small tissue fold on the inner side of your upper lip.
Although most people think of it as a new concept, it has been there for several decades with the most famous image of it appearing in a German magazine in the 1990’s where a famous body modification artist in the publication has one.
The name smiley comes from the fact that this piercing only becomes visible when you smile or when you open your mouth. It also has many other names that include upper lip frenulum and scrumper.
There is also another form of this piercing that entails perforating the small flap of tissue between your lower lip and gum. However, if you have this other kind most people prefer to call it the anti-smiley piercing to make the distinction between the two clear.
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How It Is Done?
It is always advisable to go for the services of a professional for any piercing regardless of how easy it may look.
Piercing the frenulum may look easy for some people and so they may be tempted to do it on their own, but this is a big mistake because things may not always go as you would want and you may end up with a severe infection or rejection.
And so the first step in getting this piercing is to find a professional piercer with a clean and conducive work environment. Also, ensure that the piercer has prior experience with this form of body art and that you will not be the first one they give the piercing.
Once you have this sorted, you can book an appointment or have it on the spot if possible. The first thing that the piercer will do is to ensure that your mouth is clean and then give you an antibacterial solution to get rid of any germs and bacteria in the mouth.
After this, the piercer may want to dry the area around the frenulum with a clean cotton wool to make it easier to work one. The next step is to insert a sterilized needle through the frenulum to perforate it and then finish by positioning the jewelry.
Even if the piercer is very skilled and professional, it does not cost you anything to ensure everything that they use with more emphasize on the needle is new and sterile.
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Pain Scale
How painful is it? Just like with any other piercing this is one of the questions in most people’s mind when they think of having a smiley piercing. However, this is justifiably so because some types of piercing can be very painful.
The frenulum is delicate and thin, and so the needle will go through it very fast meaning that you will not feel a lot of pain, but this is only true if you get it from a professional.
A person that does not know how to do it might spend a lot of time trying to figure it out, and this means that you will feel more pain. It is also important to note that different people have varying pain threshold and so to some, it might still be quite painful.
The bottom line is that it is not painful, but you might feel some pain as it heals because the jewelry will move when you open your mouth or chew food.
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How Much Will it Cost?
It is not plausible to say accurately what this piercing will cost to get because several factors will influence this.
The place that you live and how prevalent smiley piercing is will determine the price because if there are many piercers around the price will be low as they compete for customers.
Professional and well-established piercers will also tend to charge a few extra dollars, and this is because they also give top notch services. However, you should expect to pay anything between $20 and $100 depending on where you are and also the piercer.
Doing some research and comparing different piercers is one way to ensure that you get the piercing at a good rate while also making sure that it is from a professional.
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Aftercare
Once you have your piercing, the next important thing is to take care of it so as to ensure that it heals well and fast. It should take anything from one to four months to heal, and you have to take good care of it from the first day.
The most important thing is to maintain good oral hygiene as this will ensure that germs and bacteria do not get into the piercing and cause you all kinds of problems.
It is important always to keep your mouth clean, and this is more so after having snacks or a meal because if the food particles get into the piercing, they will irritate it.
An alcohol-free mouthwash is the best to ensure that your mouth is always clean. The reason for this is the fact that alcohol will lengthen the healing time because it also irritates the piercing.
Mix the mouthwash in a 50/50 ratio with water to make it gentle on the wound but also do not overdo it. Rinsing the mouth about five times a day is enough because even if the mouthwash does not have any alcohol, it might still irritate the piercing if you overuse it.
Most piercers will also stock a sea salt rinse and some piercing aftercare swabs. They will sell to you at small extra cost and also give you some printed instructions on how to care for your smiley piercing. You will have to use the sea salt for up to 12 weeks, and so it can be tiring and expensive.
But, you can solve this problem by learning how to make a salt water rinse at home with sea salt because it is still very effective.
How you brush your teeth will also have to change if you want your wound to heal fast and for this, you should use mild toothpaste and also use a toothbrush with soft bristles to brush the teeth gently. Check Oral Care Home and bestelectrictoothbrushlist.com if you want to buy a toothbrush with soft bristles.
All in all, the essential aftercare of this piercing is to keep the mouth clean and avoid interfering with the jewelry as much as possible.
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What Should You Avoid as the Piercing is Healing?
· Do not play with the jewelry with the tongue no matter how tempting this might feel.
· Long conversations and arguments are not good because the more you move the mouth when talking, the more you will irritate your piercing.
· Spicy foods should take a back seat as the piercing heals as they will also irritate the wound.
· Kissing is a big no if you want your wound to heal because the exchange of saliva can lead to infections.
· Drinking alcohol is not a good idea as it will lengthen the healing time and so you should avoid it.
· Do not share drinks as you are healing because this can also lead to saliva exchange and hence infections.
· As tempting as it might be to put your fingers in the mouth or let someone else do it. Touching your jewelry is a wrong move, and you should not do it.
· Stop smoking, and this also includes e-cigarettes because it will not only make the wound heal slowly but also leads to an increased probability of getting infections.
· Swimming should also be in moderation because the water in the pool can lead to bacteria accumulation in your mouth.
· Let the food cool down a little before eating it because the hot food is also not good for the piercing.
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Smiley Piercing Risks
A smiley piercing is a beautiful form of body art but just like with most other types it comes with some risks, and it is important to know and understand them before you get it to avoid regrets.
First, you should not get it if you have braces because the ring is likely to get caught in the metal wire of your braces and this can lead to dangerous things such as the tearing of the frenulum.
The skin in the frenulum is very delicate, and so any pressure that comes from the ring catching onto something can lead to extensive damage and a lot of bleeding.
The ball on the CBR (captive bead ring) also poses some risk as it will be rubbing against your gum and teeth. This rubbing may irritate the gum after some time leading to a gum recession, and this is a severe condition.
If you think that you have a recession, the best thing is to get rid of the jewelry immediately. In case the jewelry is also rubbing on the teeth, it may cause wear of the tooth enamel which is also bad as it can make you lose a tooth.
However, these risks are easy to get rid of if you notice them early enough because you will only need to change the jewelry type that you wear and the positioning.
Rejection and migrations are also other risks that come with a smiley piercing, and so you also need to watch out for them. But, they affect most types of piercing and so they are not a preserve of frenulum piercings.
However, the thin frenulum tissue increases the chances of migrations and rejections. If you notice that your jewelry is moving or changing its position, you should be keen with this to ensure it does not lead to enamel wear and gum recession.
Also, watch out for infections as they are one of the worst things that can happen to any piercing. If your frenulum perforation has an infection, you will have red marks and severe swelling, and it is important to visit your physician for medication.
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Choosing the Right Jewelry
The kind of jewelry you have is what will determine how attractive it will look because the main aim of frenulum piercing is to wear jewelry. Most people will not even notice where you have the piercing because the appearance of your CBR is what will steal all their attention.
However, the options are endless, and so you can be confident that you will find something to conform to your tastes and preferences.
But, this will only be so after healing because when getting the piercing you have to use something specific that will not irritate the perforation and will also not lead to rejection.
Your piercer will offer you a safe starter set when you get the piercing for the first time and in most cases, it is a small gauge CBR or even a horseshoe bell.
The starter jewelry should also not be more than half an inch in diameter, and the balls should be below the gum line to ensure that they do not rub on your teeth or gum.
However, once the healing is complete, you can have almost anything that you want, and some people will even go for extra-large ones to ensure that they are very visible when they smile. But, the best thing is to stick to small rings because the piercing is quite sensitive.
The material of the jewelry is also vital, but the golden rule is to choose something that will not react with your skin such as titanium or copper. There is a wide variety of options and styles available in online stores, and so you can be sure of finding something that looks stylish and extra-cute.
In short…
A smiley piercing is trendy, and it is the kind that will warm the heart of everyone around you every time you smile. It is also not as painful as other types of piercing, and it will not cost a lot of cash to get. But, it also has some risks that you should know before getting it.
However, if you take good care of it, you will not have any problem as it will heal well and within a short time.
