Take Care of Your New Mouth Piercing

So, you just got a new piercing. Are you sure you know how to take care of it? Just in case, reading this would be VERY helpful.

Steps

Oral Rinse

1. The optimal way to care for your piercing is to rinse your mouth for 30-60 seconds with a medical-grade oral rinse (such as Tech 2000 or Biotene) after every meal during the initial healing period (3-6 weeks).
2. If a medical grade oral rinse is not available, the next best thing is to dilute 4 ounces of an oral antiseptic with 4 ounces of water. This will de-intensify the antiseptic and prevent it from irritating your piercing.
   • (Note: Do not use plain mouth-wash because it will do nothing for your piercing—only mask your halitosis.)
3. Be careful not to over-clean your piercing, as this will prevent proper healing. (Signs of over-cleaning include a very white or yellow looking tongue.)

Sea Salt Rinse

1. In addition to the oral rinse after every meal, sea salt soaks will also help heal your piercing.
2. First, fill a fresh disposable cup with approximately 8 ounces of water and add ¼ teaspoon of sea salt, stirring until it is dissolved.
3. Then, rinse your mouth for approximately 15 seconds. Sea salt rinses should be performed after smoking or drinking anything other than bottled water.
   • Note: Some piercers and pierced people have had much success by substituting sea salt rinses for medical-grade oral rinses.

Brushing Your Teeth

1. - For the first week of your new piercing you are advised to only brush the front teeth and then on the second week you may proceed to brush back and gently the tongue.
2. It is important to brush your teeth three times daily while your piercing is healing. Brushing your teeth will cut down on the amount of bacteria and food particles in your mouth.
3. It is suggested that you purchase a new soft-bristle toothbrush to use during the initial healing period. Also, plaque (a white crusty shell) will begin to build up on your tongue jewelry if you do not gently brush the balls and post.
4. You should brush your jewelry daily if you want to prevent plaque build-up.

Miscellaneous

• Ice and other cold liquids can help reduce swelling. Ice pops, ice cream, and frozen yogurt are also good ways to reduce swelling, but be sure to perform either a sea-salt or oral rinse following your snack (this is not necessary if you just use plain ice). Swelling tends to last 3-5 days.
• Ibuprofen: For those who are extremely sensitive, an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen (Motrin IB, Advil, etc.) can help reduce swelling and pain.

Tips

• Try to eat very slowly. Only place small portions of food in your mouth at one time. At first, eating may seem awkward, but this is mainly due to swelling.
• Do not engage in rough activity that may threaten your piercing. Intense friction and pulling on a fresh piercing is a common way to trigger migration, a process in which the body “pushes” the jewelry out of the body.
• Avoid going into a pool, hot tub, lake, etc. These types of water can be unclean and may induce infection.
• Try to refrain from using tobacco products, chewing gum, biting your nails, or giving in to any other oral fixation you may have. Any of these activities can increase the chances for infection and may prolong the healing process.
• Approximate healing times.
  • Cheek: 6 months-1 year
  • Cartilage: 2 months-1 year
  • Earlobe: 6-8 weeks
  • Eyebrow: 6-8 weeks
  • Genitals: 4 weeks-6 months
  • Labret: 3 weeks - 1 month (depending on care)
  • Lip: 3 weeks- 1 month (depending on care)
  • Navel: 6 months-over 1 year
  • Nipple: 2-6 months
  • Nostril: 2 months-1 year
  • Septum: 1-2 months
  • Tongue: 4-6 weeks
• Make sure you know how long your healing period may be. (Remember, these are estimates!)
• Remember: A piercing is a wound. Consequently, you should expect tenderness, swelling, discoloration, and possibly bruising, bleeding, and itching. If your tongue has gotten swollen enough to pull your tongue piercing down, go see your local piercer for a longer bar.In addition, if your tongue has gotten swollen, DO NOT TAKE IT OFF! This will cause more chances of infection. Also, a natural part of the process for healing any wound includes the secretion of a white-yellow fluid (containing dead cells and blood plasma). This fluid will dry and form crust on your jewelry. To properly remove this crust, refer to the Primary Suggestions for healing your piercing.
• Drink plenty of fluids. 8-10 glasses of bottled or purified water is a good way to keep your body hydrated.
• Eat nutrient-dense meals throughout the day and consider supplementing your diet with Vitamin C (3000 mg in mineral ascorbate form) and Zinc (120 mg for males and 60 mg for females). These supplements are most effective during the first 2-3 weeks of the healing process. If you are very active (e.g., work hard, partake in regular exercise, etc.) extra nutrient-dense meals and an additional multi-vitamin supplement may help keep your immune system working efficiently.
• Check the accessories (e.g., balls, gem-ends, dice, etc.) on your jewelry for tightness at least once a day. Make sure your hands are first cleaned with anti-bacterial soap!! Checking your accessories is something that you should make habitual throughout the life of your piercing. Remember: tighten all threaded accessories by turning them to the right—righty, tightly.
• Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. This is considered the optimal amount of sleep for the body. This will help your body heal as best as possible. If you are living in a high-stress environment, consider resting as much as you can in your down time.
• Do not expose your piercing to cosmetics such as make-up, hair styling products, lotion, etc. Cosmetics contain many different ingredients and can cause irritation and infection.
• Do not leave jewelry out of a piercing for too long! If you must remove your jewelry, either put in a retainer or replace it ASAP. For example, a tongue piercing can close-up in a matter of hours.
• Try to refrain from playing with your jewelry during the initial healing period. This can irritate the piercing and prolong the healing process. Even after your piercing is healed, be weary of excessively causing friction between your jewelry and gums or teeth. If you have a tongue piercing, you may consider replacing the accessories (e.g., balls) with something made out of acrylic. This will reduce the intensity that hard metals place on your mouth.
• Never touch your piercing without first washing your hands with anti-bacterial soap. This is a great way to avoid infections even after your piercing is healed.
• Do not expose your fresh piercing to oral contact or other bodily fluids. Use protective barriers such as condoms, dental dams, and finger cots—even if you are in a monogamous relationship. Remember: during the healing process you have an open wound in your mouth—so treat it as such!
• Following the initial healing period, changing your post to a shorter length will make the jewelry more comfortable in your mouth. This will also reduce the chances of biting down on the jewelry and having the jewelry irritate the roof of your mouth or your bottom front teeth. The reason the initial post must be so long is to compensate for the swelling.
• During the entire healing period, the jewelry should remain in place to act as a drain. If the jewelry is too large to allow adequate drainage, it could be replaced with a smaller size by a piercing professional. Removing your jewelry prematurely can cause an infected hole to close up, trapping an infection and leading to complications requiring a medical professional. If you feel that the normal secretion is turning into a thicker and darker discharge, please do not hesitate to contact your physician for more advanced treatment (e.g., antibiotics).
• Try not to sleep on your new piercing. This causes irritation and may prolong the healing process. Also, try to prop your head above your heart when sleeping. This is a common way to prevent excessive swelling.
• Replace your bedding with clean sets of sheets, blankets, and pillow-cases as much as possible during the healing period.
• Do not use petroleum-based ointments (e.g., Neosporin, Bacitracin, etc.), peroxide, alcohol, Betadine, iodine, and hibiclens!! These substances can hinder and prolong the healing process.

Warnings

• Remember if you don't clean your piercing, you raise your risk of infection!
• If you have an oral piercing, don't use normal mouthwash! It could just make everything worse!
• Do not ever touch your piercing UNLESS you are checking for tightness or cleaning. But make sure you wash your hands!
• Do not play with your piercing. If you catch yourself playing with it, STOP IMMEDIATELY!
• Don't eat too fast if you just had your tongue pierced! You may bite your piercing and easily tear it! It is recommended to not eat solids until after 2 days.

Related Articles

• Reduce Swollen Fingers
• Keep a Piercing from Rejecting
• Heal Cartilage Piercing Bumps
• Safely Pierce Your Own Ear
• Take Care of a Lip Piercing

== Sources and Citations --

• Care for New Body Piercings
• Take out a Lip Ring
• Reduce Gum Swelling

See also

• Get a Medusa Piercing
• Get a Labret Piercing
• Take Care of a Lip Piercing

What links here

• Reduce Gum Swelling
• Clean a Body Piercing
• Change a Tongue Piercing
• Convince Your Parents to Let You Get a Lip Ring
• Pick Earrings when You Get Your Ears Pierced
• Take Care of a Lip Piercing