Anyone seeking a body piercing should visit a trained piercer certified by the Association of Professional Piercers. Oral piercings in particular can be dangerous if not done by someone trained in oral anatomy and prevention of cross-contamination. For a piercer with the proper tools and experience, a tongue piercing is a relatively quick and simple procedure.
Foerster Forceps
Foerster forceps look a bit like tongs, with wide, round openings. These forceps, also called clamps, hold the tongue in place outside the mouth while the piercing is being performed. They also help the piercer line up and clearly visualize the entry and exit holes of the needle. When a piercer marks a tongue, he generally uses a dark purple antiseptic called Gentian violet. He marks a dot above and below the tongue, avoiding the tongue web and prominent veins. The piercer positions the upper and lower dots in the middle of the forceps' openings and pierces either from top to bottom or bottom to top, depending on experience and training. Both directions are correct. Some experienced piercers claim that the use of forceps causes undue swelling; they prefer to grip the tongue with a piece of sterile gauze.
Cannula Needle
All piercings should be performed with a single-use hollow needle that has been autoclave-sterilized. This is known as a beveled cannula needle. The bevel at the tip comes to a very sharp point that makes a clean, crescent-shaped cut through tissue. A properly trained piercer will remove a single needle from an autoclave bag in front of you--your assurance that it is sterile. After piercing you, he may stick the sharp end of the needle into an autoclaved cork while it is still inside your tongue. This prevents you from sticking your lip with the needle while he positions the jewelry for insertion. When the piercing is complete, the needle is disposed of in a sharps container.
Piercing Jewelry
Although commonly referred to as a "tongue ring," the jewelry worn through the tongue is actually called a barbell. Barbells are generally made of surgical stainless steel, which, like the clamps and needle, has been autoclave-sterilized. The most frequently used gauge, or thickness, for a barbell inserted into the tongue is 14 or 12; 12 is thicker. A bar that is at least 3/4 inch longer than the thickness of the tongue is inserted to allow for swelling. After the swelling has gone down and the piercing is healed--which takes about one month--a shorter bar should be inserted to prevent you from biting the jewelry and chipping your teeth.
