When you get a labret piercing, a hole is pierced in your bottom lip--lower than a traditional lip piercing but above your chin. After allowing the piercing to heal for several weeks, you can change the jewelry out to better suit your taste. Changing your labret jewelry is easy, as long as you keep good hygiene in mind during the process.

Begin by washing your hands thoroughly, especially under the nails. Because you will be touching jewelry that will go into a pierced hole on your body, it is vital that you remove any oils and bacteria from your hands before you begin handling the piercing jewelry.

If the jewelry that you are installing is not new in its package, you must take the time to disinfect it properly before you put it in your piercing. Even if your piercing is healed, you can cause infection if you put dirty jewelry in the hole. Disinfection can be attained by using a disinfectant product, antibacterial soap or by boiling the jewelry in water.

Once the jewelry and your hands have been cleaned, or once you have put gloves on, you can unscrew the front off of your current piece of labret jewelry. Most labret jewelry has a flat disc back which fits in your mouth, and a decorated end in the front that can be unscrewed.

Remove the old labret jewelry and remember to disinfect it before you put it away. This can be done either by dipping it in a disinfectant and wiping it dry with an ear swab, or boiling it on the stove in water to kill off any bacteria.

Put the new labret jewelry in the same way, beginning in your mouth and pushing the jewelry through the hole. Be gentle when you are installing the new piece of jewelry in order to make sure that you do not touch the labret jewelry more than you have to, and to make sure that you do not hurt yourself in the process.

Once you have put the jewelry through the hole, you can screw the decorative end on the front. Take care to screw the ball or stud on completely so that it will not fall off or out.