Oral Piercing Aftercare

Remember: Labret, lip, cheek and any piercing where the exterior of the piercing is found outside of the mouth, needs to follow the oral piercing guidelines as well as the body piercing aftercare guidelines to clean both the interior and the exterior of the piercing.

Rinsing, if an oral piercing, is done quite often and since it works with your body’s chemistry you may rinse many times during the day. Mix your saline solution ahead of time and carry it with you at all times. I suggest purchasing a bottle of spring water (500-600mL) and mix in ½ a teaspoon of sea salt. Rinse 2-3 times after eating, drinking or smoking, or any time you feel necessary. Oral piercings benefit the most from this regimen during the first 3-6 weeks. I also recommend rinsing at least twice a day with Tech 2000 an incredible mouthwash I sell at my studio.

TIPS:

Think cold! Ice and cold drinks can help reduce the swelling.

An anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen is also helpful.

Check the beads on threaded jewellery and make sure they are tight. Right is tight, left is loose.

AVOID playing with the piercing until it is fully healed.

NO wet kissing.
NO oral sex.
NO dairy foods
NO excessively salty or spicy foods

Cut down on smoking. Smokers will experience more discomfort, excessive swelling and a longer healing time than non-smokers.

Wash your hands before touching your piercing and only touch when cleaning.

NO contact between your piercing and other peoples body fluids during healing.

Poor diet, stress and lack of sleep all have a negative effect on healing time.

AVOID petroleum/oil based products like peroxide and alcohol.

Remember, over cleaning your piercing is just as bad, if not worse, than under cleaning your piercing.

ALWAYS downsize your piercing when healed, it will save you a lot of headache when it comes to your teeth and gums. Gum erosion is not pretty and gum graphs are not cheap, please remember to make an appointment to downsize your jewellery.

Normal Healing:

Clear to slightly yellow crusting around the piercing.

Occasional, mild bleeding during the first few days is normal after a piercing.

Redness, tenderness, itchiness and moderate swelling may all be apparent through the initial stages of healing.

The above is not to be construed as medical advice: I am not a doctor. All aftercare guidelines mentioned here are based on my experience as a piercing professional.