Labret Retainer

April 24, 2008 7:01 PM

Help me find a quality labret piercing retainer.

My nephew got a labret piercing almost two months ago. He loves it. His new employer does not. Employer dress code requires that he wear a clear retainer during working hours. Our only semi-local source of piercing retainers seems to carry a crappy quality. So far, the three I've purchased for him have come apart easily and have either gotten lost partially or completely or chewed up before he even realized that it had come out. Seems kinda dangerous.

I realize that part of the problem may be my nephew playing around with the piercing but my goodness... I expect a little better wear than a couple of days.

Can those of you who have labrets or have great knowledge of piercings advise me on the best labret retainers and sources? I'd love some specifics and not just a list retainer vendors in general. I've been online and can find retainers but don't know what's best to buy.

Any help is much appreciated.

posted by sapphirebbw to shopping (6 comments total)

Glasswear Studios. Hands down. They make one made of Quartz, way more biocompatible than those plastic ones, and nearly unbreakable. I get mine from Bodyartforms.com, but almost any decent piercer that I've been to carries their wares.
posted by piedmont at 8:02 PM on April 24, 2008

Clear fishing line of the same gauge as the piercing. Much less visible than a glass retainer, however, if he's prone to playing with it, it may not last an 8 hour shift. Good luck.
posted by srrh at 8:10 PM on April 24, 2008

Seconding the quartz retainer. They're creepily clear.
posted by sugarfish at 10:59 PM on April 24, 2008

ive seriously bought mine from ebay. a retainer is a retainer. as long as his piercing is not new, acrylic is fine for me. unless he has some problems, i wouldnt spend 15+ dollars on a piece of plastic. i've had a glass retainer before but ended up breaking it. glasswear studios is a good place, but if he is prone to lose them frequently, id just go with ebay.
posted by thisisnotkatrina at 11:15 PM on April 24, 2008

Wow, piedmont, I was going to recommend the exact same thing from the same place. When I have the nostril retainer in (which is not often, but sometimes), you can't tell it was ever pierced. Those things are amazing. And Bodyartforms is GREAT, reasonable, and super fast.

thisisnotkatrina, of course it all depends on the person, but I'd say 2 months is a little new for me for acrylic. YMMV.
posted by fiercecupcake at 5:57 AM on April 25, 2008

Oh and have him look for pictures of gum recession due to piercings. That ought to stop him from playing with it.
posted by piedmont at 3:10 PM on April 25, 2008