People considering a lip piercing might also want to consider how much they like their teeth before adding the new jewelry.

A study done at Ohio State found people with a piercing in the middle of their bottom lip, where the lip meets the chin, were significantly more likely to develop problems with receding gums.

The piercing is commonly called a labret, said Ronda Hester of Lasting Impressions Tattoo Studio, 114 Welch Ave.

The labret’s popularity has grown faster than that of other piercings during the past year, Hester said.

The study found receding gums developed where the stud of the piercing rubbed against the gums.

“The piercing is constantly traumatizing gum tissue, which can cause a defect you can never fix,” said Nichole Miller, a dentist with River Ridge Dental in Cedar Rapids.

The study looked at 58 subjects, of whom the average age was 22. Half of the subjects had the lip piercing.

Of those with the piercing, 41 percent had receding gums, compared with only 7 percent of those with unpierced lips. Gums had receded more than twice as much in those with the piercing, and subjects who had their piercings for the longest time also had the worst gum recession.

The labret piercing isn’t the only mouth piercing that has been criticized for causing oral health problems. Miller said tongue piercings have also been known to create problems.

“The main thing I’ve seen is teeth that get chipped by [tongue rings],” Miller said.

It’s not the piercing so much that causes the problem. Rather, Miller said it’s the jewelry that rubs along the gumline or gets in the way of normal activity such as eating.

Both tongue and lip piercings can cause problems with chipped or fractured teeth; nerve damage; prolonged gum infection that results in loose teeth or tooth loss and gum recession.

One of the first signs of gum recession is sensitivity to temperature, Miller said.

“The root starts to become uncovered and it is not used to temperature extremes, so even breathing in cold air can cause a lot of sensitivity,” she said.

Another early sign is that teeth begin to look longer, Miller said. One ISU student saw this sign himself and chose to take his piercing out after having it for two years.

“You could just tell by looking at my lower teeth that the gum was starting to come down,” said Alex Reynolds, junior in chemistry. He said it didn’t hurt much, but the areas around the piercing would be sore and tender sometimes, so he chose to get rid of it.

Gum recession may not sound like a very serious problem, Miller said, but it can lead to further oral health problems.

Tooth decay becomes more likely because of lost bone support, and because the root is exposed, the teeth are more prone to cavities, Miller said — even long-term problems like gingivitis could result.

Another reason gum recession can be a serious problem is that it is not reversible or treatable, she said.

“You can’t regrow gum tissue,” Miller said. The only option for replacing the tissue is a gum graft that would involve taking tissue from other parts of the mouth and relocating it to the gumline.

The best way to stop gum recession caused by the piercing is to eliminate the source, she said.

Reynolds said taking out the piercing stopped the pain and helped his problem.