I hadn't really ever wanted my cheeks pierced, until one day I volunteered to be Lee's guinea pig, and let her pierce my cheeks temporarily. We used 7/16" labret posts. They were tight, even minutes after the piercing. We took them out after about ten minutes, enough to show everybody and take a picture of them.
At A Glance Author San Contact San@bme.anon IAM BlueStar When N/A Artist Lee The idea really stuck in my head. I really wanted more facial piercings, but I had a job that didn't allow it. I was pushing it with my labret piercing and plethora of earrings. So, I quit. I didn't quit just because of the piercings, I quit because I was absolutely fed up and bored with the job. So, I called Lee and she said to go to her house and we'd do my cheeks. Unfortunately, she was sick that day, so we put it off until Thursday, when she was going to pick me up from the hospital and go back to her place and pierce my cheeks, then return my to the ward. (Privileges are good things!) Unfortunately, she mixed up dates, so it didn't happen. The nurses were disappointed. So was I.
So, a couple days later, when I was discharged for good, I went to Lee and Mike's place with two 5/8" 14 gauge barbells. Lee put them in the autoclave and we just hung out for a bit. Then it was time, when the autoclave finished its cycle. Lee set up and I lay down on the couch, with my head lower than my feet. Both my cheeks were disinfected and I rinsed with mouthwash. The dots were marked and each cheek checked for veins or anything in the way. All was clear, so it was time to do it.
We were going to try a different technique, piercing from the outside in. Mike said there'd be a problem with getting the bead on, since it's so far back in my mouth. We pierced them in my dimples. Mike held the clamps for Lee and the first (my left, if it matters) cheek was pierced, from the outside in. After wrestling with the first barbell for a while, I suggested to Lee to take the needle out, taper it, and put the jewelry in from inside to out. Didn't work, the inside closed up. We decided to just re-do it after we did my second cheek, the technique that worked the best the first time.
So, knowing exactly what to expect, I was relaxed, and Lee pierced me on a "big breath out". It hurt a bit more than the first time, but that still wasn't very much. It stung for a few afterwards, though. The jewelry was followed through and the bead put on perfectly. Then re re-did the other cheek. It didn't hurt much more than it did the first time, and the jewelry went in perfectly. I looked at them and they were fucking amazing. I loved them, and I was glad to keep them. I do get a lot of funny looks and questions, since there is nobody around that I know of with cheek piercings.
Now, for the fun parts: aftercare and parents. I went home, and my mom expected me to come home with them, and my dad had been warned. Neither of them really said much. My mom told me to make sure they didn't get infected. Nobody said much, except for a younger cousin, at Christmas dinner the next week.
Aftercare was kind of a pain. My cheeks swelled almost immediately after the piercing. I assumed the aftercare would be fairly easy, exactly like a labret piercing. I had one big problem; I can't take ibuprofen, which is great for swelling. I did anyways and ended up sick because it shot up the levels of my lithium. Oh well, I didn't have swollen cheeks! I rinsed with (non alcoholic) mouthwash after eating, and I drank a lot of ice water, which I do anyways (because of the lithium). I cleaned the outside with mild antibacterial soap. It works for me, may not work for anybody else, but that's the aftercare I've used for years and found it to be the best, and quickest.
The first few days were pretty crappy. I was taking Aspirin to keep the swelling down, and it did absolutely nothing. They were very sore and I kept accidentally catching them on things. Those bath puff (for lack of a better term) are deadly around piercings! Also, I was very afraid of the balls nesting into my cheeks, because of the swelling; they were fairly tight, especially when I smiled. Luckily, I didn't have that misfortune, and now I have gorgeous, well-done, cheek piercings. Another problem was chocolate, which got caught all over the balls. I'm scared to chew gum with these piercings!