THe Top 5 reasons to avoid piercing gums
Why We Say “No” to Piercing Guns and Their Quiet Cousins, the Hand-Squeeze Device.
Walk into any mall kiosk and you’ll hear that tell-tale snap. Seasoned piercers cringe every time. The gadget behind the noise is a spring loaded piercing gun: a plastic contraption that fires a blunt earring stud straight through tissue in one violent click. Its shy sibling, the hand pressure or “squeeze” device, looks more sophisticated but works the same way: you squeeze a metal grip, forcing jewelry through flesh with steady hand force instead of a spring. Both tools promise speed and convenience; neither deserves a place near your body.
1. Sterilization Is Impossible
Professional piercers rely on single use needles and autoclaved tools. Plastic guns and reusable squeeze devices can’t survive that heat. Wiping them down with disinfectant misses the tiny chambers where blood and lymph hide, exactly where cross contamination likes to breed.
2. They Maul Tissue, They Don’t Pierce It
A needle glides through, creating a clean channel the width of its blade. By contrast, the stud on a gun (or squeeze device) is dull. It forces tissue aside like a nail through drywall, crushing cells, splintering cartilage, and leaving microscopic shrapnel behind. More trauma means extra swelling, throbbing, and scar tissue that never quite settles the way you want.
3. Cheap Jewelry, One Size Fits Nobody
Those preloaded studs are short, tightly clasped, and often mystery metal. They choke a fresh wound just when it needs breathing room and airflow. Implant grade titanium or gold can be cut to length and fitted with space for swelling; gun studs lock things down and invite irritation bumps and allergic reactions.
4. Minimal Training, Maximum Risk
The average mall employee gets a quick brand demo and a laminated aftercare sheet. Contrast that with a proper apprenticeship: anatomy classes, bloodborne pathogen training, months of supervised practice. When the tool does most of the work, skill requirements plummet and so does accountability.
5. Angles and Aesthetics Suffer
A bulky device presses against the skin, causing uneven angles when piercing need to be perpendicular to the surrounding tissue. Needles let piercers control depth, angle, and jewelry style down to the millimeter, ensuring the finished piece sits comfortably and heals beautifully.
The Takeaway
Fast and cheap always comes with a bill usually paid later in pain, infection, or frustration when you can’t swap earrings without swelling. If a studio whips out anything other than a sterile, single use needle, thank them for their time and walk away. Your body art deserves better.