Gum erosion
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!
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!!!
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...