Oral Piercings

The oral cavity is particularly tricky for healing piercings. The mucus membranes inside the mouth have a significantly different wound healing dynamics than the epithelial skin of most piercings. Maintaining good oral hygiene, with an emphasis on often rinsing with saline, for all piercings is strongly encouraged.

Lips are usually pierced on the outer edge of the bottom lip lining up with the cusp of nostril, but central (or vertical) lip piercing are not too uncommon. Care for the outside of the lip piercing should be as a typical piercing, but the inside should be rinsed thoroughly with saline after any food, drink, or smoking. The healing cycle is usually between two to four months, with the inside healing a lot faster than the outside. Variations of the lip piercing are common, usually with stud jewelry, such as:

• The Monroe (or Crawford): Off center on the upper lip.

• The Philtrim (or Medusa): Centrally placed on the upper lip.

• The Labret: Centrally placed on the lower lip/chin.

• The Lowbret: Off center on the lower lip/chin.

Inside the mouth, the most common piercing is the tongue. This is placed centrally through the tongue between the two muscle groups. Off center and tip piercings are not recommended. Frequent rinses with saline solution and good oral hygiene are the keys to healing, with full thickness reached in two to three weeks. Other completely internal oral piercings include:

• The Smiley (or Scrumper): along the gum line with the jewelry hanging below the upper lip.

• The Sublingual: under the tongue.

These should be treated as the tongue piercing as far as aftercare, but they do have an increased risk of migration as they are anchored solely in the mucus membranes.