Oral Piercings [Everything You Need to Know]

'Oral' Piercings are piercings located inside the mouth, such as the tongue, lips and cheeks. They are usually grouped with facial piercings in general, but there is a significant difference in the care and maintanance of this type of modification. While oral piercings tend to heal faster for some, they are also more susceptible to infection if not properly cleaned and cared for.

• First off, you should regularly rinse out your mouth with mouthwash after you get pierced. Any antimicrobial or antibacterial ALCOHOL-FREE mouth rinse should do, my piercer recommended the 'yellow' listerene. It tastes horrible, but it definitely gets the job done.
  
• Oral piercings benefit from the presence of ‘friendly’ bacteria, which live in the mouth and protect it from external infection. Still, you should avoid touching your new piercing as much as possible, at least until after it heals.
  
• Remember, regular rinsing with Saline or an anti-septic/non-alcoholic mouthwash will definitely help reduce the risks of infection, but over-using mouthwash can kill the natural bacteria, specifically making your tongue turn white on the surface.
• When cleaning the outside of your piercing [washing your hands with anti-bacterial soap first!] it is best to use warm water and a cotton swab. Do not use alcohol or peroxide! Instead, apply some antimicrobial or germicidal soap to the area and the jewelry and move the jewelry back and forth.
• Don't worry about that yellow stuff coming out... it's not an infection, but rather an indication that your new piercing is healing. It's a secretion that contains lymph and dead cells, and it is perfectly normal.
• Smoking cigarettes or consuming alcohol during the healing process can cause discomfort and prolong the actual time it takes for your body to heal. Both should be avoid, along with any type of sexual activities that may aggravate the piercing, such as oral sex or heavy make-out sessions. With the proper care, it should only take about a week before you're healed enough to test out your new piercing on your partner ;D
• You may want to change your piercing jewelry once the swelling goes down. It's important to switch to a slightly shorter piece to lessen potential tooth and gum damage, especially with tongue rings. You should wait until the intital healing period is up (6-8 weeks) before removing the jewelry you were pierced with, and remember to only touch your piercing with clean hands!
  

Mouthwashes

Biotene / Tech 2000: Produced by Care-Tech Laboratories, Inc., this is the most recommended anti-microbial mouthwash for the care of your new oral piercing. It is highly effective at reducing bacteria while also being very gentle on oral tissue.

Listerine: Though this antiseptic mouthwash is very good at keeping your mouth clean of any infection, it is also very irritating due to high alcohol content. It may over-dry the mouth which greatly impedes the healing process. In my opinion, it should only be used in small amounts and in extreme cases.

Gly-Oxide / Peroxyl: Another commonly recommended mouth rinse, these peroxide based mouthwashes lift out debris. However, these products can weaken your mouths ability to heal naturally. This may lead to thrush, dry mouth, and other complications.

Soaps

Provon: Provon brand soap is a brand of anti-microbial soap produced by GOJO Industries, Inc. commonly recommended by piercing studios. It is non-toxic and biodegradable. It contains the degerming agent PCMX (03%) 0.3% chloroxylenol. The producers of this soap also advertise that it softens hands while cleaning. This soap is commonly used in the medical practice due to it's high quality. It can also be used for cleaning healed piercings or jewelry, aiding greatly in the reduction of some piercing-related smells.

Satin: Anti-microbial soaps containing PCMX (chloroxylenol), very effective at fighting bacteria but still very gentle to the skin. Produced by Caretech Lab, it is highly recommended for new piercings and considered an effective replacement for Provon for those with sensitive skin.

Dial / Softsoap: Most commonly used antibacterial soaps, which can easily be found pretty much anywhere. This brand icontains the active ingredient Triclosan, which can be over-drying and irritating to some. if you are using an antibacterial soap try using the sensitive skin version of this product to avoid excess dyes and perfumes.

Topical Cleansers

Bactine: Although it has fallen out of favor with professional piercers recently, Bactine is still a common part of piercing aftercare for many people. Bactine is a liquid antibacterial with an anesthetic quality, containing the chemicals benzalkonium chloride and lidocaine. Piercers' concerns about Bactine include the fact that it can kill healing tissue as well as harmful germs. There is even a warning on the bottle against using the product on open wounds. Use with caution, and take care not to use Bactine from an old bottle, as bacteria has been known to grow inside the container.

• A natural alternative to chemical antiseptics is a Sea Salt water solution. Dissolve 1/4 a teaspoon of sea salt in eight ounces of warm clean water. Use on a cotton swab to clean you piercing daily. You can also use sea salt water as a soak or compress to help heal irritated piercings. Used daily this can help speed up the healing process safely and effectively. Make sure you do not use the salt soak too frequently as this can over-dry your skin. Use only pure sea salt with no additives or preservatives, which is available at some supermarkets, vitamin stores, and all health food stores. NOTE: DO NOT USE table salt or epsom salt, these are not the same as sea salt and will cause damage and discomfort to your piercing

- Never use any harsh chemicals or ointments on your piercing such as; hibiclens, betadine / iodine, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or antibiotic ointments such as neosporin. They will greatly impede the healing process and possibly cause damage to your skin.