I've had my tongue pierced for over a year now, in the center. The first time I got it done, it swelled up quite a bit for at least three or four days. After that, although I was totally content with the way it healed and it was a lot of fun to play with and whatnot, I definitely wasn't planning on getting any more tongue piercings done because I figured it would be too much metal in my mouth. Well, recently after thinking about how popular "normal" tongue rings have gotten, and seeing a few friends on iam with venoms done, I got inspired. I realize now, after getting my first tongue barbell when I was fourteen, that it was a stupid idea. I should have definitely waited a while, not because I wasn't responsible enough to take care of it back then, but because any decent piercing studio wouldn't have done it when I was that young, without a parent's permission. Even so, I don't regret getting it done, it's just now when I read experiences about young people getting it done li ke I did, it wasn't the brightest thing to do.
At A Glance Author Nicole Contact nicya78@hotmail.com When A week ago Artist Dan Studio Abstract Arts Location downtown Toronto Anyway, now that I'm 16 and I can get pierced legally without a parent's consent, I went down to Abstract Arts in downtown Toronto after being referred there by New Tribe, and phoning in a few days beforehand. The piercer, Dan, was nice. He made me feel totally comfortable by outlining the entire procedure, letting me look through his huge portfolio, and also seeing some of his self-done piercings. I filled out a form, paid the $120 up front and then he lead me back to his piercing room and I sat in a chair that resembled one in a dentist's office. It was a very sterile environment, he used completely new and sealed equipment (needles, forceps, etc.) and I noticed while he was marking my tongue and getting the needles ready, he changed his gloves several times, which helped to reassure me.
I took out my original barbell, not because I wanted the hole to close up, but because it made doing the piercing a lot easier. He pierced my tongue from the bottom to the top, because that way it's easier to avoid hitting any major veins, even after checking for them several times. He was totally professional about everything. First I had to rinse with mouthwash for around a minute and it kind of burned but it was for the best, to disinfect. Then, after I was happy with the placement of the dots, he asked if I was ready. I could feel my adrenaline going and my heart racing, I was about as ready as ever.
I told him yes, and he proceeded to tighten the clamps and slide the needle through, on the left side, while I was exhaling. That part wasn't so bad. It was very quick and relatively painless. More than anything, it felt weird and not painful. Once the jewelry was screwed in and the clamps were off, I could feel my tongue start to swell up in a few seconds and just wanted to 2nd one to be over with before it got too big and sore. I didn't want to chicken out.
After trying to talk for a minute or two and making sure I was alright, he put the clamps on the right side and told me to take another deep breathe and exhale, right as he slid the needle through. I've never cried at a piercing before, aside from my nostril piercing which made my eyes water, but that doesn't really count. This one honestly had me in tears, when he did the right side of my tongue. When the jewelry was slid into place and I was sipping on ice water it was fine, but I wouldn't really recommend getting this done as a "first time" piercing, especially if you're not totally sure you want to get it done and you're not prepared to deal with a heck of a lot of swelling afterwards, and a possible speech impediment for a few days. Gently sucking on ice definitely helps though.
After the piercing was finished, I watched him discard the needles and gloves into a biohazard bag and I sat there for a moment trying to get a feeling of my mouth with the new metal in place. He took a few pictures of my tongue, which made me feel special :) A few hours after the piercing was done and I was wandering around downtown Toronto, I put my original center barbell back in place, and it slid in easily, which was somewhat surprising since my tongue was so huge.
It's been three days since I've had it done and although my tongue is significantly bruised on the left side, and underneath near my tongue web, the swelling has gone down for the most part and it's starting to get easier to talk without it hurting. However, eating solid foods is a challenge, not because it's difficult to chew, but because it's painful to move my tongue around at times. I've been told Ibuprofen helps. I haven't tried it yet. I've been sticking with sea salt soaks and Oral B rinses twice a day, along with cold water. Basically, if you are thinking about getting venoms done, even though everyone's different and experiences different after-effects of getting pierced, I'd recommend reading up on a bunch of experiences and looking at pictures of the procedure being done, to prepare yourself and know what you're getting into. Aside from that, all I have to say is that venoms are great, and I don't regret getting them done at all.