Your first clue where this piercing is located is in its name tongue frenulum piercing. The frenulum is a thin tissue strip that is located between the tongue and the mouth floor and it serves as a connector between them.
Most people find there appeal to tongue web piercings cause of its “covert” nature, where people around you won’t notice it since its hidden under your tongue inside your mouth.
That is until you pop your tongue out. Most people eyeing the tongue web piercing for the first time feel an uneasy pain in their head thinking: God that must have been a pain to get? Well as it turns out it isn’t at all that painful to get one of your own.
The lingual frenulum can be pierced by a captive bead ring (16 gauge is commonly used) or a curved barbell.
The initial barbell used in usually longer since it has to accommodate the initial swelling during the first weeks of the healing process.
Good piercing artists will include a change of jewelry after 4 weeks after the first piercing in the initial price since it is vital for the tongue web piercing to transition successfully through the healing process.
Many piercing enthusiasts will find the tongue web piercing a healthier alternative to the labial (lip) frenula piercing cause unlike it, the tongue web piercing doesn’t endanger you gums and teeth.
Still one must be careful with it since its rubbing in between your tongue and mouth floor can cause significant irritation. This brings me the aftercare.
While tongue web piercing is quite simple in its nature, taking care of it after is a whole different story. I’m going to point a lot more on its aftercare then of the process of getting it since it is a lot harder to maintain a tongue web piercing.
It will require a good bit of your recourses and your own discipline as a person. Your oral area is a busy place, not only is it your first stop when taking in food and drink. It is also the place where speech is articulated. So the perils of having a tongue web piercing are abundant.
Certain foods and drinks can irritate your piercing, even when moving your tongue while processing food is stressful in the initial weeks of the piercings healing. Your tongue is a literal playground for millions of tiny bacteria and microorganisms. They are not going to kill you of course, but they are also a risk for your fresh and vulnerable piercing.
To prevent this one must do a combination of things. As in most piercings the use of a saline solution comes in mind. Make sure your hands are clean and take a mouthful of it and swill it for several minutes.
Then take a cotton bud dip it in the saline solution and apply the bud directly at the piercing spot. Clean both the front and the back of the piercing thoroughly. Remove any yellowish crusts that are a byproduct of lymph’s discharging from your body which is normal in such circumstances, after that simply wash off with clean warm water.
It is imperative that you maintain good oral hygiene in general while the piercing is healing. Buying a new toothbrush is advisable since old toothbrushes tend to house bacteria and bits of old food that should not be near your new piercing.
Plaque can be a major problem so a mouthwash is good to have if you are plaque prune. Cleaning of the piercing is set at twice a day for the next three weeks. It is important that you swill and rinse after every instance of eating, smoking, or drinking anything besides water.
In the first two weeks swelling will happen, it is inevitable. The best you can do here is keeping it down with applying ice. One other good solution is drinking and swilling cold chamomile tea since it helps with swelling but also with the healing process in general, but do so if you are sure you are not allergic to it or not pregnant.
Avoid any form of use of alcohol, it in form of a mouthwash or anything else since they can damage the tissue that is healing up. You should also avoid any forms of antibacterial, antimicrobial and antiseptic solutions, since they have a tendency to suppress the friendly bacteria in your body that are helping in the process of healing.
Next up that I have to bring up are the lifestyle changes you have to endure during the healing period. First thing is to those who like to play with their tongue. Stop it. I know it’s hard to resist the urge not to fiddle and play with your new piercing, but still.
For the next 6 weeks you are advised not to play or fiddle with the jewelry if you want a clean and successful tongue web piercing.
I also have bad news for the love birds out there, it is necessary to avoid kissing and oral sex during the first two weeks of the healing. And lastly the issue of smoking, now, I won’t tell you to stop smoking. But I am going to tell you that the risks of infection are way higher for smokers, then non-smokers. It’s your call, you have been warned.
Again, as I have a tendency to do in most articles I urge you not to take my advice good for granted since everyman’s piercing story is different. Seek out the piercing professionals that work in your local piercing studio for general support.
More so since the frenulum varies from person to person, it really depends on our general anatomy of the body. There are cases where the piercing isn’t possible because the frenulum is small to apply a piercing. Inform yourself fully before trying it for yourself.
