ten minutes ago, I pierced my lower lip, on the right side (also called a 'fang', I've heard). the procedure was simple, I found a small piece of cork which I carved into something that fit between my lip and my gums, found an 18g cannula needle, and took out both my nostril rings (one if which is a 16g 9mm CBR, which is the one I used). I put the ring on my lip to see where it looked good, marked it with a (ahem) marker, and put the cork where it should be (i.e. behind my lip). I opened the needle-container, placed the (sterile, mind you) needle at the previously mentioned marked spot, and pressed. there was the slightest amount of pain, like biting your lip or something.. nothing bad, and the needle was through. connected with the cork, at least. I had to push some more to get the entire needle-tip and the beginning of the plastic-sheath through, which was uncomfortable at worst. when everything was through, I removed the needle from the sheath, cut the sheath off near the lip, and inserted the ring. being a gauge higher than the sheath, I had a bit of problems getting it in, but in the end, it was in, and I pulled it through. now began the tricky part. inserting the bead. everyone who've tried to insert an atom-sized bead in a tiny ring knows how tricky that can be. but, with the aid of a pair of pliers and some patience, it went in. washed my mouth with some diluted tea-tree oil, brushed my teeth and went to write this. there's no pain at all, just a little pressure. ta da! end of story. now go get a piercing.