GROUPON GUIDE TO ORLANDO

I Asked a Piercer About Nose Studs, Tooth Gems, and Pain

BY: Favin, the Maven |Jan 27, 2015
I Asked a Piercer About Nose Studs, Tooth Gems, and Pain

It was my senior year of high school, and I was feeling extra rebellious. So I did what my father had expressly forbid me from doing: I got a small nose stud.

Years later, I still think it looks cute—but the world of piercing has definitely changed. My stud was a scandal when I revealed it to my family and friends. Nowadays, nose studs are some of the most common (and tame) piercings out there. What’s new and hip? I spoke to Molly Bennett, co-owner and piercer at Identity Body Piercing in Chicago, to find out.

FAVIN: What are some new, trendy piercings that you’ve been seeing?

MOLLY BENNETT: A lot of stuff recycles. Noses have been totally in this last year as a “new-old” piercing. As for newer styles, a lot of people like to do a large cluster-style piece—multiple gemstones but one piercing—in their conch, which is the inside flat part of your ear. [We also see a lot of] double or triple helix piercings, which are two or three plain studs or earrings along the rim of your ear.

ear piercings

We don’t see much simple jewelry. A lot of people come in looking for ornamental stuff. [Even] people who come in for rings ask for rings with gemstones in them or rings with a scalloped pattern.

FAVIN: How do you think piercings are perceived nowadays?

MB: Some piercings are still a little edgy to people—when you stretch out your ears to a large size, you’ll get a few looks—but it’s become a lot more accepted. Same with tattoos. Our client base is really diverse from person to person: we get doctors coming in, and we get students coming in.

FAVIN: I have a little silver stud in my nose, but it’s been there for so long that I’m getting a little bored with it. Is there any way to dress it up and make it glam?

MB: For sure. Nostril piercings are probably our number-one piercing that we do, and we get a lot of people coming in for large, ornamental pieces. Some like to put genuine diamonds in their nostrils. Just the other day we put a diamond floret in someone’s nose—seven diamonds set together in a flower pattern. A lot of people love rocking just a plain gold ring. ... [You could also] get a little chain that runs from your nose to your ear.

nose piercing jewelry

Above, some awesome nose jewelry from Molly’s shop!

FAVIN: What do you tell people who want a piercing but are scared of getting one?

MB: When you’re scared to get a piercing, it’s always the anticipation that’s more painful than the actual piercing. Our head piercer on staff, Cuba, is a freehand piercer, so he doesn’t use clamps or tools that pinch the skin. It’s a lot less painful, [and] he’s really fast. A lot of people, by the time they’re like, “Is it gonna hurt?”, it’s over.

FAVIN: I still have to ask: what’s the most painful place to get a piercing?

MB: We get that question from every other person that walks in our door. Everyone’s pain tolerance is incredibly different, so it’s a hard question to answer. We get people that say their cartilage piercing hurt way worse than getting a navel piercing, and other people say they’d get their cartilage pierced a million times over getting their navel pierced. It’s really different from person to person.

dino stretcher

FAVIN: What are people’s most common piercing mistakes, whether it’s not researching a shop well enough or not following aftercare instructions?

MB: It’s always good to research the shop you’re going to and make sure the sterilization is up to date. But definitely [the most common mistakes happen with] aftercare. Back in the day, when I [first] got my ears pierced, we were told to clean them with alcohol. [But] you’re really not supposed to touch them with hydrogen peroxide or alcohol. We get a lot of people doing that, and it irritates the piercing.

FAVIN: What should you use instead?

MB: Hot water is your secret weapon, and sea-salt soaks. We sell a spray version and also give you a recipe to make your own.

FAVIN: Do you have a favorite piercing?

MB: It sounds silly, but I really do love my nostril piercing. I go between plain gold beaded shapes and Swarovski-crystal florets—very sparkly flower patterns. I also have stretched ears, and I love getting big, blingy jewelry for them. In recent years, I’ve gotten pierced just because I fell in love with a piece of jewelry.

FAVIN: Speaking of jewelry, can you tell me about tooth gems? I saw some cool pictures of them on your Facebook page.

MB: Tooth gems got really big overseas in Europe. They’re called smile gems, tooth gems, tooth bling … there are a lot of different names for them. It’s perfectly safe for the tooth, all we do is use a dental adhesive. It’s stuck on pretty much the same way that braces are stuck to teeth. There’s no drilling or permanence to them—it’s just a temporary little jewel. We have everything from basic crystals in clear colors to yellow-gold and white-gold gems. They’re pretty addicting!

tooth gems

FAVIN: What does your dentist say about them?

MB: Our dentist actually trained us how to do them!

FAVIN: OK, after talking to you, I really feel like I need to trade in my nose stud for something fabulous.

MB: Go for it!

This interview has been condensed and edited. Top photo by Andrew Nawrocki, Groupon; other images courtesy of Identity Body Piercing.

Read more about beautiful body modification:

tattoos tattoo removal

America's Top Cities for Tattoos—and Tattoo Removal


permanent eyeliner

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Favin's Permanent Eyeliner

body modification

People with Tattoos Are Just Copying Ötzi the Iceman