At the beginning of this procedure you will have a dental bib put on you so that nothing from the procedure will get on you or your clothing. Then you will have to rinse your mouth out with some alcohol free mouthwash so that the mouth is clean before having your tongue pierced. After you rinse your mouth out the piercer will then mark you tongue for the placement of the jewelry.
Next, the piercer will clamp your tongue with some forceps that will hold your tongue in place for the procedure. The clamps assure that the tongue will not move so that the piercing will be straight. The clamps are a little tight so they may be uncomfortable but nothing unbearable.
The piercing of the tongue is the process in which a needle is passed though the tongue. Once the needle is though the tongue a straight barbell made of 316L implant grade surgical steel that is usually 5/8 to 3/4 of an inch long with round balls on either end is inserted in the hole that was made by the needle as the needle is removed.
This act is done at the same time. You see the jewelry actually fits into the end of the needle so the jewelry just slides right into place as the needle comes out, just as it should. The placement and wearing of the jewelry helps keep the piercing hole open because if the jewelry is removed for any length of time the pierced hole will close up.
There is usually some bleeding when you have this procedure performed so do not be alarmed because it is normal. The bleeding is different for everyone but it usually stops within just a few minutes. This may sound like a horrible procedure but it is not as bad as it seems. When you bite your tongue by accident it actually hurts worse than having your tongue pierced. The piercing is really quick and easy.
It is the swelling afterwards that hurts. Most tongue piercings swell and the swelling can last anywhere from 1 day to 2 weeks depending on how the persons immune system is for healing and also on how the person cares for the piercing. Cold stuff like Ice and ice cream help keep the swelling down you can also take an over the counter anti-inflammatory like Aleve or Midol. The healing time is usually 3 to 6 weeks.
There many different styles of jewelry that can be worn in the tongue piercing even jewelry that will conceal the piercing for those of you worried about a job, school, parents or other reasons and there are many different reasons people get their tongues pierced. It seems to be really popular in society today. Piercings are for anyone who wants to get one. As with any type of body modification, you should always do your research before having the procedure done.
