I've been fascinated with piercings for a long time, but due to my job, facial piercings other than ear lobes were prohibited. My nose was pierced for a short while, until I had to remove it for the same professional reasons, and I really missing having some kind of semi-unique piercing. A friend of mine had her tongue web pierced, and I just knew it was for me. It was hidden to the general public, but I could share it with anyone, unlike a genital or nipple piercing.
At A Glance Author Kate Contact Kate@bme.anon When Six months ago Artist Dave Studio Reed Street Tattoo Location Baltimore, MD I called around to many tattoo and piercing places, and was told that they didn't even perform this kind of modification. They said that the rejection rate was high for this kind of piercing, so many customers ended up being unhappy, and also that their piercers did not have enough experience with this kind of piercing. I finally found an amazing guy named Dave at the Reed Street Tattoo parlor (no longer on Reed Street...call for directions) in Baltimore where I live, who said he could do this kind of piercing.
When I went in, he asked me to lift my tongue to the roof of my mouth, as if I was about to making that clicking noise, but to keep it there. He said I had the right kind of tongue web to do the piercing. I'm not sure what kind of tongue web that is...but I'm sure most people have it. A little nervous about the other places I'd called telling me that they only did popular piercings, and this being a very new piercing in the states, I asked how many he'd done. He said about 20 since his first one a few years ago. That's not many, but that was enough for me.
He asked me to wash my mouth out with Listerine and then I signed a consent form and sat next to him and in front of a tray table with a few needles and jewelry options. I'd read that the hoop jewelry was the best to help prevent rejection and what he showed me was absolutely adorable. I'm not 100% sure about the size, but I believe it's about a 16 or 14g surgical steel ring.
He pulled a sterile needle from the package and used pliers to bend it into an arc shape, and then he clamped my tongue. In fact, he told me that the clamp was the most uncomfortable part of the piercing for some people. It was a tight clamp, but it could have been worse.
He grabbed my tongue web and held it taut with one hand, and pushed the needle through with the other. It felt like my tongue was on fire, but he was fairly quick and followed right away with the jewelry. My eyes were watering and I think I must have moaned because he stopped for a second to make sure I was okay. I was fine, but am not a piercing pro by any means, so it was a bit of a shock. Some people say that piercings are painless...but as far as I'm concerned...it is a piercing, and yes it hurt. But no it wasn't terrible.
He held up a mirror for me to see and I was kind of afraid to close my mouth. He had me rinse with Listerine and my tongue felt swollen, but I felt the immediate need to jump for joy, I was so excited and it was so beautiful. He told me to rinse with Listerine after I ate or drank anything for about 6 weeks, and that it would be good to dilute with half water for the first couple of weeks.
On the way home, it was pretty sore, and eating that night was a bit difficult, as well as moving around my tongue. Until you pierce your tongue, you have no idea how much you move it when you talk, eat or even do nothing at all. The best thing I found for the pain was Advil (Ibuprofen), which is an inflammatory, and that reduced the pain to practically nothing. I took it constantly for one week and after that I felt completely healed.
I've now had it for 6 months and have had no rejection or problems. I can now move it all around and show it through my teeth...my dentist was not angry at all since it doesn't rub against my teeth like a regular tongue piercing does, and I clean it once a week with a baby toothbrush without any toothpaste or taking it out. It's so beautiful and I'm so proud to show it to everyone I meet, but I don't feel the need to make some kind of visual statement all the time.
I highly suggest it to someone like me who loves piercings but is required to maintain a professional look for their job.