Tongue piercing

A tongue piercing is a piercing through the tongue. A single piercing in the centre of the tongue is the most common form but multiple piercings (either one in front of the other in the center or one on each side of the tongue) are also possible. Piercings should be placed carefully to avoid hitting a nerve or, more commonly, a vein. The piercer should also take into consideration the tongue "webbing" (the part under the tongue that connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth) and the position of the potential piercing in relation to teeth to lessen the risk of damage. Off-center piercings can be more complicated as they pass directly through muscle (where as center piercing pass through the space between the two muscles) so should only be performed by experienced piercers.

When done with the correct equipment, the piercing itself is not as painful as might be expected: like most piercings, the pain, while quite intense, is fleeting. However, a large amount of swelling in the (3-7) days afterwards can be extremely uncomfortable. The piercer should take account of the predicted swelling when choosing the initial jewellery; this jewellery should then be "changed down" to a smaller size after the swelling subsides. Correctly sized jewellery lessens the risk of damage to teeth and soft tissues in the mouth.

A tongue piercing usually takes 4-6 weeks to fully heal. Aftercare for a tongue piercing is to rinse the mouth with a medical grade oral rinse or if that is not available, a dilution of 4 oz of oral antiseptic with 4 oz of water. Mouth washes containing alcohol should not be used. Over-cleaning the piercing can prevent it from healing correctly. Teeth should be brushed three times a day when the piercing is healing, using a new soft bristle toothbrush. Plaque build-up (typically on the lower part of the jewellery) can also be cleaned off with a soft bristle toothbrush.

Piercing aftercare

Different piercers have different ideas about piercing aftercare: there is no definitive method. If you trust your piercer's knowledge and experience, you should follow their aftercare advice. Generally though, the following are good guidelines:

• Eating might be painful for the first few days due to swelling: eat small portions of food at a time or stick to liquids/semi-solid foods such as soup or pie filling. Rinse your mouth thoroughly after eating.
• Drink lots of fluids. In particular, drinking a large glass of water before you go to sleep can help cut down excessive swelling overnight/first thing in the morning.
• Never touch it unless you wash your hands first.
• Do not use any kind of tobacco products.
• No oral contact with body fluids, including the fluids produced by the sexual organs or saliva of other people.
• Your piercing should not be exposed to any cosmetics like lotion or makeup.
• Don't over-clean your piercing.
• After the healing period is over you can change the post to a shorter size to make it more comfortable.
• See also Body Piercing Aftercare for more information.

Risks

• Teeth can be damaged through contact with the jewellery during normal functions such as eating and talking. This risk can be greatly minimised by ensure that the correct size jewellery is used. However, it may require cosmetic dentistry to restore the appearance of the teeth.
• If the jewellery used is too small to take account of swelling etc, it can submerge into the tissue of the tongue. This may require an oral surgeon to remove it from the dorsum of the tongue.
• The presence of several large blood vessels in the tongue complicates this piercing. It is strongly recommended that tongue piercings are only carried out by experienced individuals, as severe bleeding that may be difficult to control without medical aid.
• Speech can be severely affected during the first few days after the piercing because of swelling. This usually returns to normal after the swelling subsides but the presence of jewellery may continue to impair tongue mobility.
• Like all body piercings, the jewelry should not be removed or replaced before the piercing is healed (4-6 weeks). Even once they are healed, tongue piercings can begin to heal up incredibly quickly when jewelry is removed: care should be taken when reinserting jewellery.
• As this piercing is technically inside the body, and will come into contact with food, smoke or anything else placed in the mouth, proper sterilization practice is of special importance, both at the piercing studio and during the healing period.

External link

Tongue Ring After Care (http://www.tongue-ring-aftercare.com/)