Piercing in the Smile technique is a piercing of the frenulum under the upper lip. The name comes from the English word "Smile" - a smile. The presence of jewelry in the mouth is only visible when a person smiles. The technique of piercing appeared more than 1000 years ago. It was used by women of African countries, but it was not widespread. Only in the beginning of 2000's began to make piercings in Europe, young people belonging to different musical subcultures. Only 3-4 years later, the fashion for mouth ornaments began to spread around the world.
Features of the place of piercing, the pros and cons
The piercing under the upper lip is invisible to others. When the mouth is closed, the bridle is not visible. Therefore, the Smile piercing technique is suitable for people who observe the dress code at work, where it is forbidden to wear provocative jewelry.
Other advantages of the piercing:
- the ease of replacing the earrings;
- quick recovery of the mucous membrane after the piercing;
- It is possible to remove the jewelry, after which the hole will heal without a trace in 2-3 weeks.
Small earrings are usually inserted into the hole, which, when worn, do not interfere with speaking, eating, oral hygiene. Jewelry for piercings under the upper lip are chosen in the form of a horseshoe, a half ring, a micro banana.
Minuses of piercings:
- there is a possibility of developing complications;
- The constant feeling of the presence of a foreign object in the mouth;
- There is a possibility of damage to the enamel of teeth.
Smile" piercing: photos and reviews of the owners
Interesting fact: frenulum piercing is becoming increasingly popular not only among the rebellious youth, but also among quite mature and respectable people. The explanation for this trend is simple - despite all its extravagance, "smiley" is very easy to hide. With such piercings you can work in a solid company with strict dress code requirements, or in a municipal organization. The piercing does look interesting, it is possible to insert a variety of decorations and change them according to your mood.
As for the practical part of the issue, after the healing "smiley" does not require any special care. Many owners of such a piercing admit that over time they forget about their unusual decoration. Piercing "smile" reviews and has negative: someone earring interferes, and some are faced with various problems - for example, infection or torn frenulum. However, if you really want to become the owner of such a piercing, you should take a risk. If you don't like it, you can always take the jewelry out, and it won't be long before the canal will be overgrown.
Painfulness of the piercing
Smile" piercing is practically painless. In 90% of cases, it is done without the use of anesthetics.
Indications for anesthesia:
- Thick frenulum, which is difficult to pierce without pain;
- low pain threshold;
- Panic state in a person (from fright, he can jerk and hurt himself against the instrument during the puncture).
Local medications (Lidocaine, Novocaine, Anesthesin) are used for pain relief. Painkillers are not used if you are prone to allergies.
How painful is the procedure?
It is done in sterile conditions. Because of the absence of painful sensations anesthesia is not used. Exceptions are cases with excessively thick frenulum or strong susceptibility to pain. In this case, treatment of the area with a composition for local anesthesia - lidocaine - is required.
The puncture is made with a special needle. Once the process is completed, the mucosa of the frenulum heals very quickly. The wound itself stops bothering you within a month. With proper preparation and adherence to all instructions, side effects do not occur.
Choice of jewelry
For piercing under the upper lip fit titanium earrings with a special coating of non-allergenic composition or jewelry made of medical steel, bioplastic. These materials do not oxidize over time, do not lose their appearance. They do not emit any harmful substances and do not cause any harm. Such jewelry is suitable for primary piercing and for everyday wear.
In terms of shape, the earrings are chosen in the form of:
- horseshoe (it is better to wear such earrings after the wound has completely healed);
- circular;
- segmental ring;
- barbell;
- ring with a ball or stone;
- clicker ring;
- micro banana.
The ends of the jewelry are decorated with cone-shaped or round elements. They should be small, so that they do not cause discomfort while wearing and do not scratch the enamel of the teeth. Earrings made of precious metals should not be inserted into the bridle until the puncture has healed, as jewelry can oxidize and cause poisoning.
The thickness of the earring should not exceed 1.2 mm, it is better to choose a diameter of 1.6 mm. The bridle is thin, so a small piece of jewelry can break through it.
Carving on the earring
The jewelry is better to choose with internal threads, which are made on the metal itself. Earrings with glued or soldered threads can break. Breakage can result in injuries in the mouth, loss of jewelry. There is a high likelihood of swallowing broken off elements of the earring, resulting in damage to the esophageal organs.
The internal thread will not traumatize the bridle while putting the jewelry through the piercing. If the product is polished, there are no protrusions on it, which can catch on the skin, scratch it. These earrings are easier to pull out when replacing jewelry.
Polishing
The better polished the earring, the faster the piercing will heal. It is better to give preference to products from the expensive segment. They are polished by hand, checking the quality of each piece of jewelry.
Earrings produced on an industrial scale are polished with grit. Micro-defects remain on the surface of the jewelry. Microbes accumulate in the recesses, and dried blood, lymph and saliva adhere to the protrusions. The accumulation of pathogenic flora on the earring leads to the infectious affection of the frenulum and the development of complications.
The integrity of the jewelry
It is preferable to choose titanium earrings, as they are made using a one-piece darting technique from a billet without welding the elements of the jewelry. This method of milling eliminates the possibility of harmful impurities in the metal alloy, which are contained in the solder used to solder the elements of jewelry. The inclusions can cause allergies and rejection of the material. The darting out of the solid base also helps to maximize the smoothness of the earring's surface.
Silver and gold earrings are always made of several elements that are soldered together by soldering. If you choose jewelry made of precious metals, you should give preference to products of famous brands that value their reputation and do not use harmful impurities in the manufacture of jewelry.
Popularity .
Despite the simplicity, the piercing "smiley" is a very unusual decoration. Of course, put on such earrings most often representatives of the younger generation, which is not surprising. After all, not everyone dares to decorate his face with earrings with balls at the ends.
Where did the name of this piercing come from? And the point is that the earring is visible only in the case when a person smiles. So, if you want, you can easily hide this jewelry. If with a piercing on the chin or nose you will not get a job in the office, then with a "smiley face" there will be no problem. The main thing is to control yourself and not to smile broadly.
Piercing preparation
The basic rule of preparation for the piercing is oral hygiene. It is necessary to exclude bacterial infection and suppuration of the wound after the piercing, so the care procedures for 3 days before the piercing include mouthwash. This is done after every meal.
For gargling, use:
- diluted peroxide (3 drops per 1 tbsp of water);
- chlorhexidine of low concentration;
- saline solution (1 tsp of salt per 200 ml of warm water);
- manganese (a weak solution of a light pink color).
Combination of braces and piercings under the upper lip
You should refuse piercings if at the time of the piercing you have a fever, there are other signs of respiratory disease.
Performed at home
This type of piercing can be called easy, so it can be done by yourself at home. You will need to buy some accessories: jewelry, a clamp and a needle with a catheter. It is necessarily necessary to observe sanitation.
The process is as follows:
- Sterilization of instruments, treatment of hands with antiseptic.
- Using gloves, disinfecting the place.
- Clamp pulling the lip to the nose, then a sharp insertion of the needle into the frenulum.
- Insertion of jewelry.
- Re-treatment.
If the frenulum is torn, wait for the wound to heal before returning to the procedure. It is better if there is an assistant in the performance. To ensure that the session went flawlessly, to avoid further trouble, the best option is to go to a salon.
How the procedure is carried out
Algorithm of the procedure:
- The first thing to do is to sterilize all instruments and jewelry.
- The oral cavity and frenulum are sanitized with antiseptic.
- Anesthesia is used.
- The pliers are used to clamp the upper lip and pull it upward.
- A disposable needle is used to pierce the bridle.
- Without removing the needle, a piece of jewelry is inserted.
- A final sanation of the oral cavity and the puncture site is performed.
With proper care of the wound, it heals quickly, without complications.
Only 1 puncture wound can be made in one session. If the master made a mistake in choosing a place for piercing, unsuccessfully entered the catheter, the next time you can pierce the frenulum only after its full recovery.
Piercing can be done independently. The algorithm of the frenulum piercing under the upper lip is similar to the salon procedure. To perform it, you need to create conditions that meet sanitary standards: to treat the tools with antiseptic, wear sterile gloves and conduct sanitation of the oral cavity.
Carrying out
Before the piercing, the earring is carefully sterilized. The master examines the site and warns about the likely consequences.
- Treatment with an antiseptic preparation with the possibility of anesthesia.
- Retraction of the upper lip with special forceps.
- Piercing with a needle.
- Fixation of the earring without removing the needle.
- Secondary treatment.
Feelings after the piercing
Unpleasant feelings after the piercing remain for the first 3-5 days. It is felt painful when eating, when stretching the skin while talking or smiling. To alleviate the discomfort, you can use a spray with lidocaine, which has a freezing effect, 2-3 times a day. When the pain goes away, the sensation of a foreign object in your mouth will still remain. Some people get tired of the sensation, which is the reason for removing the jewelry.
After a month, a full-fledged canal will form around the jewelry. The feeling of a foreign object in the mouth will gradually disappear. The more a person gets used to the piercing, the more often he "plays" with the tongue with the earring, which sometimes leads to a stretching of the frenulum, injuries or rejection of the jewelry.
Contraindications and risks
Like any piercing, this piercing has its own features and prohibitions:
- It is necessary to take into account that this type of piercing erases tooth enamel, as a foreign object constantly rubs against it.
- With insufficient disinfection there is a risk of getting HIV, hepatitis, stomatitis, festering, inflammation.
- There is a risk of rejection of the earring by the body and, as a consequence, allergic manifestations.
- There is a possible displacement of the jewelry due to the deformation of the piercing.
It is forbidden to pierce under the following circumstances:
- pregnancy;
- high body temperature;
- menstruation;
- poor blood clotting, anemia;
- HIV, hepatitis.
Care of the puncture site
The mucous membrane of the oral cavity quickly recovers if proper hygiene procedures and sanitation are performed.
Tips for caring for the puncture site:
- For 6-7 days after piercing you should rinse your mouth after eating.
- Do not use alcohol or manganese to sanitize the mouth after a puncture. These products will prolong the healing period of the wound.
- When brushing your teeth, you must be careful not to catch the earring or traumatize the frenulum.
- 3-4 days after the piercing you can not drink any alcohol and smoke.
- You can not touch the jewelry with your tongue or hands, so as not to get an infection in the wound and not to traumatize the puncture site.
The wound heals about a month, and the discomfort after the piercing lasts only 3-5 days. The first 1-2 weeks after the piercing, it is better not to kiss. In an open wound can get bacteria, viruses, transmitted through bodily fluids. There is a possibility of transmission of STDs from the partner through saliva.
How the frenulum is pierced
Smile puncture is better not to perform at home. The procedure should be entrusted to the master of the cosmetic salon, this measure will prevent the possibility of infection and other side effects.
"Smile" is contraindicated in pregnancy, lactation, DIC, infectious diseases, dermatitis, tendency to form keloid scars. It is not advisable for women to get piercings in critical days, as the healing time will be longer. Before the procedure, tell the master about any allergic reactions to the metal and medications.
Is it necessary to scroll the earring during the healing of the piercing?
Touching, much less twisting the earring during the first 2-3 weeks after the piercing is impossible. If the jewelry is of high quality, it has a smooth surface, which eliminates the possibility of ingrowth of the product into the frenulum tissue.
If the wound is regularly disturbed, the crust will be removed prematurely, and the puncture will constantly bleed. This will lead to tissue scarring and complications in the future.
Possible complications and consequences
The piercing under the upper lip most often heals without complications.
Rarely, consequences develop:
- Infection entering the wound, which leads to suppuration, swelling, and painfulness of the piercing site.
- Displacement of the earring, its prolapse due to improperly made piercings.
- Rejection of the material from which the jewelry is made, allergies.
- Damage to the tooth enamel, chipping.
- Frenum rupture in its original thinness.
Proper care for the place of piercing and refusal of piercings, if there are contraindications, will help avoid the development of complications. If after putting on an earring there is discomfort, the frenulum is swollen or bleeds a lot, the jewelry should be removed. After removing the earring, the frenulum heals in a few days without any consequences. The oral mucosa is completely restored after 1.5-2 weeks.
Negative aspects
Of the disadvantages are noted:
- Subsequently tearing.
- Feeling of discomfort - forgetfulness or interference.
- In the case of displacement, damage to the tooth enamel.
Before deciding on a procedure, it's wise to weigh everything up. It is not unreasonable to read the reviews on Instagram. From the nicknames sasha and yak you can get a lot of useful advice, learn about some attractive and terrible secrets. The main thing is to follow the basic rules.
If the gums, teeth, palate hurt after piercings
About the problems associated with the piercing itself, indicates a local reaction: redness, plaque, bleeding, swelling in the place of the piercing. If the pain spreads throughout the oral cavity, the cause should be sought in the antiseptic or rinse agent used.
Each person has a unique oral microflora. Antiseptics and hygiene products can cause individual intolerance. It happens frequently: 1 case per 20 people. The condition is called stomatitis, which is quickly treated. Changing the remedy with solutions with a different composition will help eliminate the pain.
