hey all,

i've had the same labret piercing for 4 years & never had problems with it.. until this week. out of nowhere, a massive swelling has appeared inside my mouth where the bar is. it has formed into this big white ulcer that's pretty painful esp. when i eat.

when i pull back my lip, i can see that the swelling is so big that on one side, it almost sucks the back of the bar into it.. creepy! the swelling has formed in a circle around the piercing.

i have no idea why this is happening, as i haven't recently changed piercings, eaten/drunk weird foods, or even touched it. ive been wearing the same piercing for months & never had problems with it before. could it maybe the weight of my ball? it's quite a heavy spike, could it be that my mouth is finally getting tired of having this heavy piece of jewellery on it? tonight i changed the ball to a tiny plastic one hoping that this will mirculously fix it. i also turned it around so the plastic ball is inside my mouth, & the metal bar back on the outside, so metal isn't constantly rubbing against the ulcer. it feels a lot lighter now but is still sore.

is this normal? do long-term piercings suddenly become infected for no reason? is this a sign that my mouth is starting to wear? if so does this mean i have to let it close up? change to plastic bar? just leave it?

help!

Well Im not expert like Rikki Lake, but maybe something like just got into it and just pissed it off? Definitely change it to plastic for a little bit and start putting some stuff on it. And if it hasn't changed in a bit, maybe go see a piercer?

I'd say go see a piercer.
Mine went like that after about a year. And it ground my gumz away.
To the piercer and BEYOND.

__________________

Diving for pearls.

I want a lolly.

mine went like that when i was wearing a ring in it, it was hurting so much that i was gonna take it out because i couldnt stand the pain.turns out it was because i used to pull the ring about loads.the piercer changed it for a small bar and it felt better almost instantly, had no more problems with it since.definitely go to the piercer and see what they say.

it could be a mouth ulcer? i get them occassionaly on my labrets, they are so annoying and painful, but alwys settle back down

I thought ulcers were caused by lack of some vitamin?

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Juices like wine, like the blood in the sands.

no not necessarily

There are many processes which can lead to ulceration of the oral tissues. In some cases they are caused by an overreaction by the body's own immune system. Factors that appear to provoke them include stress, fatigue, illness, injury from accidental biting, hormonal changes, menstruation, sudden weight loss, food allergies and deficiencies in vitamin B12, iron and folic acid. Some drugs, such as nicorandil, have also been linked with oral ulcers.

Ahh that's what I meant. I'd take the labret out if it was all swollen. Mine has closed up on the inside now.

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Juices like wine, like the blood in the sands.

if mine swell up, i leave them in and they soon settle down, if i play around with them when they are flared up they just get worse

i think i bite mine in my sleep when i have been drinking

Yeah mine used to go away after a day or so.. kept biting it like you said and my front teeth are capped so they kept breaking. Had to take it out. I'm considering a monroe.. somehow I don't think I could bite that so easily in my sleep.

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Juices like wine, like the blood in the sands.

i have 3 in my upper lip and i never bite them, i dont think its possible lol

Interesting.. well that is a positive sign. I only want one on the side. My tooth is still broken.

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Juices like wine, like the blood in the sands.

what happened to your tooth?

Mine rubbed my gum away

__________________

Diving for pearls.

I want a lolly.

eww bet that hurt

i think ive been lucky, ive never had any rubbing of my teeth or gums from labrets

Yeah
Mine rubbed away so much that if i hadn't taken it out my teeth would have fallen out.
And my vert lab just grew out

__________________

Diving for pearls.

I want a lolly.

thats not good