Tongue and Lip Piercings
Piercings in and around the mouth, most commonly the tongue or lip, are popular ways of self expression; particularly amongst teenagers and young adults. Even if you do not know much about tooth gems, dental grills or milk teeth jewellery, it's unlikely you do not know a little bit about these sorts of piercings. They are more mainstream than other forms of jewellery we have discussed and it is likely that you have come across a lip or tongue piercing at some point in your life.
Tongue piercing positioning
As with tooth gems and dental grills, the way in which you wear a lip or tongue piercing is down to individual taste and style. With a tongue piercing, for safety purposes, there is less choice in terms of positioning as a piercing should always be placed at a point where there is less risk of damage to the teeth, gums and wall of the mouth and where it is least likely to affect oral functions such as talking and eating. The traditional place for a lip piercing is in the centre of the tongue, a little less than 2 centimetres from the tip and with the top a little further back than the bottom. A good piercer will be aware of this and can explain your options in detail. If a piercer is willing to place your tongue piercing wherever you like then this should ring some alarm bells and you should consider whether you want to go ahead with the piercing at this particular place. Unqualified or under-qualified piercers are not uncommon unfortunately and these piercers pose serious risk to your health if you allow them to perform your piercing.
Lip piercing positioning
Lip piercings give a few more options in terms of positioning. Multiple lip piercings are not uncommon and the position of your piercing on the face is very much down to the individual; these piercings can be positioned on the lips themselves or anywhere around the mouth and cheeks where the inner side is on the inside of the mouth. The only importance with lip piercings is that the stud does not touch or rub against the teeth or the gums near where the teeth erupt and it should not be possible to bite on the stud. Piercings positioned in these places will cause risk of damage to the teeth, gums and the wall of the mouth. Again an experienced piercer will know about these things and will not pierce an area that carries a high risk of damage.
Piercing bars
There is a massive range of jewellery available for lip and tongue piercings. Tongues are usually pierced with a bar that has a decorative bead on the end. These beads come in many different decorative materials and colours. For those people who may need to conceal their piercing " maybe because of their job or another commitment " there are flat beads available that blend in with the colour of your tongue disguising the bar in your mouth. Tongue bars come in a vast range of sizes; jewellery size is important with tongue bars for comfort. A bar that is too thin will move around and cause discomfort and irritation. When you first get pierced your bar will usually be around 1.6mm thickness but once the piercing is healed it is possible to stretch the hole to accommodate thicker bars; bars are available that are more than 10mm thick. If you are a first time piercee then this may all go over your head but your piercer will be able to explain this all in much greater detail.
With lip piercings there is, again, a range of studs and rings available. A stud is easier to manage as they are easily inserted by hand whereas rings require special pliers to open them and can therefore be tricky to change yourself. A stud can be threaded internally or externally but with externally threaded studs you have to be very careful that no threads are exposed inside the mouth to avoid causing any damage. As with tongue bars there is a wide range of balls, spikes and jewels available and you are sure to find something that suits your personal taste. Studs and rings come in various lengths and sizes and can be made from surgical stainless steel, 18 carat gold, titanium and niobium.