This is the story of my eighth piercing, and the one which caused me the most parental grief -- my tongue web. I left home at the age of fifteen to attend an all-girls private boarding school in Victoria, BC. During my two senior years there, I discovered the joys of body piercing. Now, my father absolutely despises modifications of any sort; he was raised to believe that anyone who differs from the norm is a "freak", "juvenile delinquent", and the like. I am quite bothered by his mindset, as I consider it discrimination based solely on appearance. My mother is much more understanding; she does not like it, but does not base her judgements of people on their physical appearances. I went ahead and told my parents that I was going have my cartilage piercings done (which my father was very upset about, but that's another story), but I hid my navel from them. Unfortunately for me, my father is a very observant person, and spotted it one day. I really love my parents and felt bad about deceiving them, so attempted to make amends by writing them a letter detailing how important my piercings were to me and how much they had impacted my life. My father never mentioned the piercings after this, and I assumed (incorrectly!) that he now understood where my motivations for piercing were coming from. I decided that any other piercings I got before nineteen wouldn't be visible, as I knew how much the sight of jewellery sticking out of holes in my body bothered him.
At A Glance Author zoisite Contact zoisite@bme.anon When Six months ago Artist Jenna (assisted by Justin) Studio Instinct Adornment Location Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada While living in Victoria, I had been playing with the idea of getting my tongue web pierced for quite a while; it was unique, very aesthetically pleasing, and easily hidden from the world. Most of my research was conducted right here on BME; this site is a wealth of information for educating oneself before getting a piercing done. I looked at pictures, read experiences, checked over the rec.bodyarts.FAQ files, and asked a few questions on QOD. However, I was unable to find a piercer to actually do the job for me in Victoria so put the idea of this piercing on hold until I could find a competent piercer.
After I graduated, I moved back to my hometown of Kamloops to live with my parents during the summer before university started. A new piercing studio, Instinct Adornment, had recently opened and was earning itself a strong reputation for competent, professional piercing. I accompanied a friend who was having her navel pierced there, and was very impressed with the studio's cross-contamination prevention, cleanliness, portfolios, and overall friendliness. Both piercers had also taken the Basic Piercing Course at Fakir Intensives, which I considered a sign of competency back then. So, I decided talk to them about having my tongue web pierced. Justin, one of the two piercers, explained that they had never done a tongue web before, but had performed many successful scrumpers. Since the fraenulum tissue is essentially the same under the lip and tongue, he was confident that they could do the piercing for me. I left the shop satisfied, but intent to do a bit more research first. I asked on Gary on QOD if he thought a piercer who could do scrumpers no problem would be able to handle a tongue web. He said it should be fine, as it's not a particularly difficult piercing to perform. My mind was made up; I decided to do the piercing about two weeks before I had to leave for university.
On the day of my appointment, I made my way downtown to the studio, very excited about the upcoming event; I liked the idea of being a piercer's "first" tongue web. Upon arrival, Justin informed me that he was going to get Jenna (the other piercer, who is also his wife) to perform the piercing, as she is a more experienced piercer. I went into the waiting area and filled out my information form (past piercings, any allergies, medical conditions, etc.). After this was done, Justin sat down with me and discussed aftercare and possible healing problems. Once Jenna was ready, Justin and I headed into the piercing room, as he was going to assist during the procedure. I was pleased to discover that Jenna had been researching the piercing since I had come in inquiring about it. This is one of the things I really respect about this shop -- when undertaking a new procedure, they either research it intensively beforehand or test it out on each other before the clients.
The first thing they had me do was rinse with Listerine for one minute, which was not a particularly pleasant sensation. I am sure there must be a better product out there to pre-sterilize the mouth before oral piercings, but it unfortunately seems to be the industry standard. I laid down on their cushioned table, and was given a pillow for my head. We then began the long and tedious process of marking. Jenna used liquid genitan violet ink applied with a sterile toothpick for this. This is something some piercers overlook; the instrument used for marking must be sterile and disposable, like an autoclaved toothpick or a single-use surgical marker. If it is not, cross-contamination between clients will occur. Along these lines, piercees should check if the piercer is frequently changing his or her gloves; any time a non-sterile surface is touched, gloves must be changed to avoid cross-contamination. Jenna and Justin's technique in this regard was flawless; I lost count of ho w many latex snaps I heard during the experience. All of the equipment used for the procedure as well as my jewellery was laid out on a tray, still wrapped in its autoclaved bags. This is incredibly important; all materials used for the procedure must be properly sterilized with an autoclave, and not unwrapped until they are about to be used.
Getting the marks in a location we were satisfied with proved quite difficult, as we had to ensure the salivary glands were not in the way of the piercing, that the ring would sit high enough in the webbing to not rub against my back teeth, and that the piercing was deep enough to minimize the chance of migration and/or rejection (common possibilities with the tongue web). I had brought in some good pictures off BME to help us determine placement -- this is a good idea if your piercer is performing something new, or if you have a very specific idea of the placement you want. It was quickly discovered that my mouth was not an environment easily peered into, so Justin put a flashlight inside a latex glove (again, to avoid contamination) and used it for illumination; the light was also used to check for any major veins in the webbing so that they could be avoided. After a good half hour of poking with toothpicks, the marks were finally decided on and we were ready to go.
When the clamps were first applied, I yelped a bit; it was very invasive and rather painful, unlike any other piercing sensation I have had before. Of all my piercings, this is the one that hurt the most to be clamped. Jenna laughed and said that if I found this uncomfortable, I had better rethink getting a ring permanently stuck through there. I mentally "toughened myself up", and was fine throughout the rest of the time it took to get the clamps just right (which was at least fifteen minutes). Finally, the moment of truth: Jenna was standing over me with needle in hand, telling me to open my mouth. She advised me to keep my mouth open as wide as possible after the piercing, so that the needle would not slip into my mouth and cut me. I began taking deep breaths, and braced myself for the pain. As the needle went through, I let out a muffled sound, but didn't jump. I always think it's better to make a bit of noise rather than holding it in; doing so tenses the body and may cause the piercee to jump or pull back, thereby affecting the piercer's ability to pierce straight. The pain really wasn't that bad, and disappeared immediately after the needle was through. Jenna skilfully slid the 7/16" SSS captive bead ring through the new hole, popped on the hematite bead, and handed me a mirror to inspect her work. It was perfect! I cannot describe how ecstatic I felt, looking at that beautiful steel ring resting proudly on the floor of my mouth. My tongue began swelling immediately, and I was a bit worried that the ring was too big as it was resting against my back teeth; however, Jenna said that the ring needed to have a large diameter to accommodate for swelling and decrease the risk of migration due to pressure, and if I found it too large after the piercing had healed then they would change it to a D-ring free of charge.
Justin went to get me a big glass of water, and they left me in the room for a few minutes to make sure I was calmed down from the experience and not experiencing any adverse effects. I had occupied both of the piercers for a good forty-five minutes, and the waiting room had become quite busy as a result. As I went out, the counter girl ran over excitedly and asked to see the new piercing; she thought it was very cool indeed. After paying my $43.50 -- they had given me a discount on the piercing since it was their first one -- I went on my merry way.
Overall, I was very impressed with my piercing experience at Instinct. It was miles ahead of many shops I had visited and been pierced at, and I will definitely give them by business again if I require any piercing services when in Kamloops. There were a few things I would have liked to see, though. I was not asked for any identification when getting my piercing. Instinct's piercing age is sixteen without parental consent, and granted I did look older than that. However, you can never be sure, and a shop really should ask for ID and photocopy it so that if an angry parent comes in, they will have some valid proof as to why the piercing was done. Also, the bead used on the CBR should have been SSS, not hematite; decorative materials are porous, and can harbour bacteria that may be harmful to a fresh piercing. I forgot a few things myself, though. I neglected to ask who they had apprenticed under, and how long they had been piercing for -- it's a good idea to know some backgr ound information about your piercer beforehand. I also failed to check up on their jewellery quality (which turned out to be good). Piercing jewellery should be either Grade 23 Surgical Titanium (Ti6AL4VELI) or implant-grade Stainless Steel (316LVMF138). However, these are all small points, and I would recommend Instinct without hesitation to anyone in the Kamloops area. These are just things that prospective piercees should take note of when checking out a shop, and I myself only picked up on them after a few more months of surfing on BME.
I had read in many experiences that the application of ice immediately after the piercing was supposed to help minimize swelling, so I headed off to a fast-food restaurant to get a cup of ice. However, I found that it was so cold that application was painful, so I quickly discarded my cup. Remember than metals are very good conductors of hot and cold, so the temperature of whatever is in your mouth will be quickly transferred to your piercing.
I headed home after this, and successfully had a conversation with my mother without her realizing that anything was amiss. I was confident that I could hide the piercing from my parents, as all the experiences I had read on BME said that this piercing did not have any effect on speech and was essentially invisible. However, I learned the hard way that experiences are not always right. After a few hours, my tongue became increasingly sore; it hurt to move it, and this was beginning to affect my speech. I also quickly realized that I was not going to be able to eat any solid food, which is a problem when you eat dinner with your parents "as a family". I decided to break down and tell my mother what I had done. As I had anticipated, she wasn't really angry -- just worried that Dad would find out. We decided to play it by ear, and not tell him unless he noticed. When the time came for dinner, however, I could not eat what my mother had made -- he asked me why, and I took a dee p breath and told him that I had pierced my tongue web. To put it lightly, he exploded; I have never seen my father so angry. After yelling at me for a few minutes, he stormed downstairs and proceeded to give me the silent treatment for the next week. I began to deeply regret what I had done, as I really love my parents and hated hurting them. I offered to take it out, but my mom told me not to bother. She said I would simply have to live with the consequences of what I had done, and that it would all blow over in time... "In twenty years, we will look back on this and laugh" -- sage words from someone much wiser than me. So, I spent the next few weeks wrestling with my guilt over what I had done and my absolute elation over my new piercing.
My aftercare consisted of saline gargles, for a minimum of thirty seconds every time anything other than water entered my mouth. I use bottled, sterile irrigation saline that my mother obtains for me from the hospital (she's a nurse) that has a 0.9% weight/volume ratio, i.e. 9 grams of sodium chloride (salt) to 1 litre of water. When I run out of this, I switch to my own mixed solution of 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized salt (iodine is very irritating to fresh wounds) mixed with 1 cup of distilled water. I heat this in the microwave for a bit to ensure all the salt is dissolved. I don't believe in using mouthwash of any kind for healing oral piercings -- especially ones like Listerine with high alcohol contents, as alcohol causes swelling in pierced tissue. As well, rinsing with mouthwash ten-plus times a day can kill all the bacteria in the mouth, including the beneficial ones. This is what causes thrush, the thick white coating that frequent mouthwash users can get on the su rface of the tongue. I think Patrick Bartholomew summed it up best when he said "I do not put anything on my piercings that I wouldn't inject under my skin". Saline is isotonic to the body, which means that it is neutral to the cell's own natural salt content. It is used in hospitals to clean wounds, recommended by dentists after oral surgery, and is injected via IV to replenish lost fluids in dehydrated patients. Anyways, whatever aftercare method you choose, make sure to stick to it rigorously; at the very least, rinse your mouth well with water after eating or drinking anything, and after brushing you teeth (I find toothpaste to be quite harsh on fresh piercings). I also took vitamins for two weeks after the piercing: Vitamin C which is essential for forming collagen (required in the formation of scar tissue to heal the piercing) and countless other functions, zinc which boosts the immune system, and a generic multivitamin to ensure my body was getting everything it nee ded to heal the injury. Surprisingly, I did not have any trouble swall owing pills due to the piercing.
My tongue web was very swollen for over two weeks, so much so that the ring was almost pushed over my teeth when my mouth was closed; this resulted in severely slurred and painful speech. There is no way I could have hidden this from my parents, as definitely sounded like something was wrong with me. I held cold water in my mouth for a minute or two when the piercing was particularly uncomfortable to numb the pain. I also took an anti-inflammatory (Advil) to help the swelling go down. I have heard many people advocate the use of chamomile and lavender tea gargles to aid in reducing swelling; I think I will try this for my next oral piercing. I could not eat solid foods for a week, so existed on fruit smoothies, cream soups or broths, yogurt, custard, and other soft foods. Once I began eating solid food again, I noticed that small things (corn kernels, Kraft dinner noodles, etc.) had a tendency to get stuck in the ring. When this happened, I swished my mouth with water to d islodge the food rather than using my tongue to remove it, because I didn't want to risk ripping the piercing through wild tongue contortions. Indeed, tongue movement is relatively painful for the first month or so. You don't realize how much you use this organ until its movement is impeded; for instance, I could not use my tongue to dislodge food particles stuck in my molars, so had to gargle to clean my teeth or do the "finger dislodge" when no one was watching. I tried to minimize extensive and painful tongue movements as much as possible, to give the piercing time to heal without disturbance. I also had this piercing done at a time when I was not in a relationship, which I think is a very good idea -- you do not want to be kissing anyone when healing an oral piercing. You have a direct line to your bloodstream open in your mouth -- would you let your significant other lick an open wound on your body? Probably not. It is as dangerous as having sex without a condom, so I caution you to take no chances with your piercings and wait until they are 110% healed before having any sort of oral contact.
I have had my tongue web for about six months, and have found it to be a wonderful piercing. I have no signs of migration yet, which is partially due to the fact that I do not play with it; doing so irritates the tissue and promotes rejection. My speech is completely back to normal, and I can eat any food with no difficulty. I must stress that, for me, this piercing requires constant maintenance due to plaque build-up. I began to notice this about two weeks after I had the piercing done -- a hard, white deposit mostly on the bead and in the crevices where the bead meets the ring. It is very important to remove this plaque, as it can damage the piercing as the ring/barbell slides through the holes the same way crusted lymph can cut the inside of a body piercing. I gargled with Plax mouthwash twice a day, which is formulated to loosen and break down plaque deposits. I then took a round, sharp-ended toothpick (the blunt, flat ones don't work as well and tend to break) and used it to chisel off the plaque from the bead and ring; the point is especially helpful for removing plaque from the crack where the bead and ring join. Finally, I gently brushed the ring with a soft baby toothbrush (a yellow Colgate Barney toothbrush, to be exact) to clean it. It is also important to maintain overall oral health by brushing twice and flossing once daily. Don't forget to gargle with saline to clean the piercing after doing all of this! I finally got the plaque under control, and now only need to do this regimen once every few days. Another important thing to watch out for with this piercing is gum erosion. My ring rests against the back of my teeth and gums, so has the potential to cause damage. My dentist says everything is fine so far, but it is still something to keep an eye on. Remember that gum erosion cannot be reversed, and can lead to costly orthodontic surgery, bone erosion, and tooth loss.
Despite the huge ordeal I went through over getting it, I love my tongue web dearly and consider it one of my favourite piercings. Strange as it sounds, it provides a comforting presence -- when I'm stressed, I often catch myself running the tip of my tongue over the bead as a calming mechanism. As well, the attention I get for such an unusual piercing is kind of nice. The ring is sometimes visible when I speak, and I have had people question me about "the thing in my mouth"; if you want a completely invisible piercing, be sure to get a barbell. In retrospect, I do wish that I had waited the extra few weeks and had it done when I was away at university and could hide my "speech impediment" from my parents until I was healed. Whenever you get a modification, make sure you can handle the ramifications it can have on your life and relationships with the people you care about. I hope that someday my parents will be able to understand and accept why piercing is such an important part of my life, but that day is probably a long time coming.
I hope you all found this experience somewhat helpful -- if you have any further questions, feel free to write me. Happy piercing, everyone! ^_^