Guidelines for Taking Photos and Gum erosion: Difference between pages

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[[File:Minimum.jpg|thumb|right|180px|640x480 pixels]]
When jewelry, generally [[Labret|labret]] and [[Lip piercing|lip piercings]], but also from [[Tongue piercing|tongue piercings]] rests against your gums, there is erosion over time. Just like water dripping on rock can dig a hole over years, a piece of metal rubbing on your gums can rub a hole in your gums, exposing the roots of your teeth.


The following '''guidelines for taking photos''' is meant to help you take clear, in focus images that will be accepted to [[BME]].  This isn't a photography how-to, just some helpful tips.
Think that the roots of your teeth aren't covered of enamel.


Images submitted to BME need to be should be in JPG format. They must be at least 640x480 pixels in size (the image to the right shows the minimum size, click for full size).  Bigger is always better.  They must be clear (not blurry), and the mod (or play) should be the primary focus of the picture.
'''I must emphasize that this type of problem is effectively irreversible (without surgery) and it will not just get better on its own! If you notice it happening ''deal with it immediately''!'''


Some of the most common mistakes include:
[[File:Gum_Recession-1.jpg|center|344px|thumb|]]


* If you are taking a photo that is a closeup (taken from less than about three or four feet away), you will need to put your camera into macro mode. On most cameras, this is indicated with a small icon of a flower. If you don't do this, the picture will turn out blurry.
Obviously, this puts you at dramatically increased risk of gum and tooth disease, and risks the loss of the affected teeth altogether. Expensive surgery (gum grafts, where gum is removed from one part of your mouth and transplanted into the damaged area, generally start at over $500) is needed to correct this problem, so if you notice it starting, (again), deal with it immediately. One reader writes about their medical bills,
* If you are using a digital camera, it should be set in the top quality mode. Don't worry about the image seeming to big.  Note that many webcams are unable to capture images of sufficient quality.
* If you are using a scanner, your resolution, for a standard size photo should be at least 200 dpi with no post-scan reduction. Also, if you are using a scanner, make sure to crop down to just the image. Don't send your entire scanner bed!
* If you are using a camera phone application to alter the appearance of the image.  While these camera effects may look "cool" or artistic, they obscure the body modifications and degrade the quality of the image.


To illustrate, here are some images that are not acceptable and an explanation of what the problems are. Click on the thumbnails to see the actual image submitted:
:"It didn't even take one month after getting my labret pierced before I noticed that my gums under my one tooth were wearing away. I downsized the jewelry but it kept wearing down. I let it stay in my mouth for two more weeks before having to take it out. Now I need to have $1500 worth of dental work done on my teeth and gums to repair the amount of damage done in the approximately six weeks I had my labret. The worst part of the whole thing is it looked so damn good on me!"


{| cellpadding="2"
This risk can be minimized with careful choice of jewelry (determined by the shape of your anatomy) — although other factors such as smoking, diet, and even just genetics also play a role. A professional piercer can help you with this, including suggesting alternative jewelry if your gums are being eroded by what you are wearing. Please note that when this happens it is generally irreversible so don't let it progress if you notice it!!!
|-
| [[File:Blurry1.jpg|thumb|right|180px|This image has a number of problems. First, it is blurry and difficult to see the mod (an eyebrow bar). Second, it has been rescaled, making it even more blurry. Finally, it contains a border of whitespace.]]
| [[File:Blurry2.jpg|thumb|right|180px|While this image is of sufficient resolution, it is too blurry -- the picture must be in focus.]]
| [[File:Blurry3.jpg|thumb|right|180px|This picture is high resolution and was clearly taken with a high quality digital camera. However, because the photographer forgot to push the macro button, the picture is blurry.]]
| [[File:Rescale1.jpg|thumb|right|180px|First, this picture is slightly too small. However, it started far too small -- the submitter rescaled it which both distorted the image as well as pixelating it, reducing the quality.]]
| [[File:Small1.jpg|thumb|right|180px|This picture was taken with a webcam which was simply not capable of capturing a high enough resolution image to use.]]
|-
| [[File:Webcam1.jpg|thumb|right|180px|This picture is 640x480, but it was also taken with a webcam which was not truly capable of the resolution, resulting in an image that is grainy and blurry with some level of static.]]
| [[File:Webcam2.jpg|thumb|right|180px|This photo was also taken with a webcam, and is not of sufficient resolution.]]
| [[File:Whitespace.jpg|thumb|right|180px|This photo was scanned at an insufficient resolution. Instead of increasing the scanning resolution, whitespace was added to fill to the minimum size -- this doesn't count.]]
| [[File:Overcompress.jpg|thumb|right|180px|While this image is of sufficient size, the JPG compression ratio is set too high, resulting in an image that is blocky and has some color loss.]]
|}


== See Also ==
[[File:Gum Recession-2.jpg|center|150px|thumb|Gum Recession]]
* [[BME FAQ]]
 
* [[BME Reviewer's FAQ]]
A reader writes in...
 
:"I've worn my labret piercing for close to four years now, and over time it has, in fact, worn away at my gums. The jewellery I wear has a fishtail backing, so the gum recession has occurred on the side the jewellery rests on. It's damaged only two of my teeth, which I guess I should be thankful for, but that's still two too many.
 
:I'd say that this is the kind of piercing one should only get if they don't plan on wearing it forever (Editor's note: an experienced piercer can tell you if your anatomy will allow this piercing permanently; many people have no recession problems at all), because the long term damage just isn't worth it. I miss my gums. There's a very noticeable difference between the damaged side & the side the jewellery doesn't come in contact with, and it's not pretty."
 
Two readers wrote us to tell us about their problems with their [[Madonna Piercing|Madonna piercings]],
 
:"I ran into the problem of gum erosion with my Madonna. The initial stud, once the swelling went down, was far too long. It scratched at my gums and started to erode the gum over my canine. Several length-downsizes later, the problem seems to be under control, and only minimal erosion took place."
 
:"When I had my Monroe, major gum erosion...
 
==Entries related to this risk==
* [[Labret Piercing]]
* [[Lowbret Piercing]]
* [[Tongue Piercing]]
* [[Upper Lip Frenulum Piercing|Smiley]]
* [[Madonna Piercing]]

Latest revision as of 04:38, 17 September 2023

When jewelry, generally labret and lip piercings, but also from tongue piercings rests against your gums, there is erosion over time. Just like water dripping on rock can dig a hole over years, a piece of metal rubbing on your gums can rub a hole in your gums, exposing the roots of your teeth.

Think that the roots of your teeth aren't covered of enamel.

I must emphasize that this type of problem is effectively irreversible (without surgery) and it will not just get better on its own! If you notice it happening deal with it immediately!

Gum Recession-1.jpg

Obviously, this puts you at dramatically increased risk of gum and tooth disease, and risks the loss of the affected teeth altogether. Expensive surgery (gum grafts, where gum is removed from one part of your mouth and transplanted into the damaged area, generally start at over $500) is needed to correct this problem, so if you notice it starting, (again), deal with it immediately. One reader writes about their medical bills,

"It didn't even take one month after getting my labret pierced before I noticed that my gums under my one tooth were wearing away. I downsized the jewelry but it kept wearing down. I let it stay in my mouth for two more weeks before having to take it out. Now I need to have $1500 worth of dental work done on my teeth and gums to repair the amount of damage done in the approximately six weeks I had my labret. The worst part of the whole thing is it looked so damn good on me!"

This risk can be minimized with careful choice of jewelry (determined by the shape of your anatomy) — although other factors such as smoking, diet, and even just genetics also play a role. A professional piercer can help you with this, including suggesting alternative jewelry if your gums are being eroded by what you are wearing. Please note that when this happens it is generally irreversible so don't let it progress if you notice it!!!

Gum Recession

A reader writes in...

"I've worn my labret piercing for close to four years now, and over time it has, in fact, worn away at my gums. The jewellery I wear has a fishtail backing, so the gum recession has occurred on the side the jewellery rests on. It's damaged only two of my teeth, which I guess I should be thankful for, but that's still two too many.
I'd say that this is the kind of piercing one should only get if they don't plan on wearing it forever (Editor's note: an experienced piercer can tell you if your anatomy will allow this piercing permanently; many people have no recession problems at all), because the long term damage just isn't worth it. I miss my gums. There's a very noticeable difference between the damaged side & the side the jewellery doesn't come in contact with, and it's not pretty."

Two readers wrote us to tell us about their problems with their Madonna piercings,

"I ran into the problem of gum erosion with my Madonna. The initial stud, once the swelling went down, was far too long. It scratched at my gums and started to erode the gum over my canine. Several length-downsizes later, the problem seems to be under control, and only minimal erosion took place."
"When I had my Monroe, major gum erosion...

Entries related to this risk

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