Smiley Piercing c:

Smiley Piercing. 

This weekend was great, but I also made quite a stupid decision and pierced myself after a party. I would NEVER recommend DIY (do it yourself) piercings, as there are so many risks when it comes to piercing yourself. You need to sterilize everything, to make sure it's clean, you have to know what you're doing, what the risks are, and what to do to keep it clean throughout the healing process. The 'smiley' piercing is called the smiley for one obvious reason.. you see the piercing when you smile. The 'smiley' is the web of skin on the top of the inside of your mouth, called the Frenulum. You have to know what you're doing, even though it's a really thin bit of skin, it's quite dangerous due to there being a vein at the back of your Frenulum, and if you pierce through it, it won't be fatal, but it won't be a very nice experience either. The Frenulum is a part of the gum, which supports your gums and your top lip, holding them both together and acting as a source of support.

But, Despite me doing it myself, whilst drunk, I still managed to pierce it in the right place, without going through my vein, and I pierced it straight, using a sterilized needle and jewelry. I had no idea what I was doing, and only did the research about the piercing afterwards. The most common question about the piercing is, ''Does it hurt?'' Well, it depends, everyone has a different pain tolerance, so it would hurt for some people, and next to no pain for others. For me, It took me about 3 hours in order to pierce it, as I wasn't exactly sober and I was trying to pierce it in the wrong place. I took a break for about half an hour, because my frenulum started to hurt, and then went back to it, and I positioned the needle exactly in the middle of the frenulum, and forced it through quickly, making sure the needle went through straight, because obviously nobody wants a wonky piercing.. I then put the jewelry on the end of the needle, and pushed it through. I went Town the next morning and bought a bar, and then sterilized it and put it in afterwards when I got back, as the jewelry I used when I pierced it wasn't comfortable, and was causing discomfort when I spoke or ate. For me, the second time round it didn't hurt, but you do get a very sharp pinch, which you would expect with any piercing.

- Risks -
- If you get a horseshoe for your smiley, it can rub against your teeth when you speak, and it can eventually cause your enamel to slowly wear away, so be careful. I would advice to wear a bar, as it prevents this, but nobody would see it, so it's up to you.

- DO NOT pierce it yourself, I would strongly advice you to go to a professional, as it would be safe, and you would be sure that it is being done properly, if you don't know what you're doing, you could pierce the wrong place, and go into a vein, or even pierce it wonky and have to take it out.

- If you do not clean the piercing throughout the healing process, it WILL get infected. Yeah, it takes a lot of time, as you have to do it every time you eat, but i'm pretty sure you don't want an infected oral piercing and have a swollen mouth.

Advice/tips.
- Clean your smiley piercing at least 3 times a day.
- Clean your piercing after every meal, but be careful to not over clean it, as you could irritate the piercing and cause it to reject.
*Cleaning methods*
EITHER: Boil some hot water and put salt water in it, let it cool down and then swirl it round your mouth, making sure you are getting it near the piercing, giving it chance to clean all the bacteria out of the piercing. You use SALT water only because salt water dissolves. If you use normal salt, the salt will fall to the bottom of the salt water, and when you swirl it round your mouth to clean it, the salt will get stuck in your piercing and get it infected. Make sure it's salt water.

OR: Clean your teeth after EVERY meal throughout the day, and swirl/gargle mouthwash afterwards. If you're getting it done professionally, they will tell you all of this and answer all the questions you have, don't just go off what it says on other websites, they're not always fully accurate.

Overall, I really like my smiley piercing, It's a cute piercing to have and i'm lucky to have done it correctly, but if you're doing it yourself, make sure you know what you're doing, because if you go wrong, you'll regret it. I really hope this helps if you're looking to get your smiley pierced.<3