Tongue Piercing

Cost: $65. Includes jewelry and recheck appointment.

Jewelry Used: 14 gauge surgical steel (316LVM) internally theaded barbell. Length of barbell is based on tongue thickness, plus room for initial swelling.

Age of Piercee: Must be 18 or older. We WILL NOT perform this piercing on minors, even with legal consent of parent/guardian.

Candidate: Must be in general good health (no mouth or throat infections, irritations). Must not have diabetes, hemophelia, heart disease, heart murmer, mitral valve prolapse, broken or compromised teeth. Must be 18 or older. Ideal candidates should have enough length on the frenulum. We will not pierce those with short frenulums.

Healing Time: On average, 4-6 weeks.

What to expect during healing: The first 3-5 days, the tongue will be swollen. Degree of swelling will vary between individuals. Usually, after the fifth day, the swelling will have reduced, yet small "volcano" type of swelling will radiate around the top ball. This swelling feels somewhat hard and will dissipate during the healing time. Whitish Discharge from the tongue may be visible. This is normal and is not pus.

***DOWNSIZE!****: To avoid cracking  teeth or unecessarilly irritating the mouth, the piercee should downsize the length of the barbell within the first week. Do not purchase externally threaded barbells as they will irritate the tongue upon insertion. It is well worth the investment made in buying internally threaded jewelry from a piercing shop rather than cheap barbells.

We offer dental acrylic encased tops for barbells if the piercee desires a "softer" top. These will not break if bitten in comparison to their cheaper acrylic counterpart found at malls and kiosks.

Aftercare: Allow ice chips to dissolve on the tongue the next two to three days post-piercing. Ice chips and an antinflammtory will greatly reduce swelling. Elevating the head during sleeping during the first few days will help reduce swelling.

We recommend buying a new extra soft toothbrush. Brush with BIOTENE toothpaste twice daily and rinse your mouth out with BIOTENE mouthwash twice daily. We stronly advise you not to use Listerine or Scope as both contain alcohol and dry out oral tissue.

 If you eat or drink anything other than ice chips or water, rinse your mouth out with sea salt solution. To mix the sea salt solution, dissolve 1/8th tsp. of sea salt in one full cup ( 8 ounces )of cool water. Contain the solution in a sports bottle and use as needed. If you do not have sea salt solution handy, rinse with bottled water. There is no need to brush every time you eat or drink during the healing phase.

Your jewelry will accumulate plaque. You will need to brush the jewelry to remove deposits of plaque. Most piercees report that they find it more comfortable to wait three to five days before brushing their jewelry as the tongue may still be sore.

EXPECT: Expect to have some swelling, whitish dishcharge and some pain. Numbness is NOT NORMAL. You must contact your piercer ASAP if you experience numbness. This may indicate your tongue swelled more then anticipated and your barbell is too short.

A small "volcano" type divet will likely appear around the ball atop the tongue. This is typically present within the first three days post-piercing as swelling subsides. This volcano-like structure will diminish over time, possibly ten days or less, and will have a knotty feel to it. During the weeks following the piercing procedure, the knot will lessen.

Your salivary glands may begin to work overtime during the first week. You may have more saliva than normal and if this occurs, the glands underneath the chin may feel achey as a result. Antinflammtories and ice should help.

AVOID: Alcohol, smoking, temperature hot and spicey hot foods and beverages. Try not to stick out your tongue to show off the piercing. Instead, simply open your mouth, keeping your tongue inside.Keep your fingers out of your mouth and do not engage in open mouth kissing or oral sex during the healing time. Cell turnover for oral tissue is approximately 25 days. Do not play with the jewelry or cause undo stress on the tongue.