After Care – Oral

Oral Cleaning Instructions:

  • Rinse your mouth out with a non-alcoholic, antiseptic mouthwash for 30-60 seconds when you wake up, before going to bed, and after major meals until the piercing is fully healed.
  • Rinse you mouth out with as salt water mixture after anything goes in your mouth that is not water.
  • For facial-oral piercings (such as lips), ensure that you are keeping up with either warm soaks or sterile saline spray for the outside of your piercing.

What is Normal:

  • Swelling of the area is perfectly normal and usually lasts around 7 days.  Some tenderness or discomfort is also common.
  • You may feel aching, pinching tightness, or other unpleasant sensations on and off for several days or longer.
  • You may experience bleeding or bruising on and off.  However, if anything exceeds past one week we suggest coming in for a check-up.
  • A whitish-yellowish secretion may come from your piercing; this is normal.  It is a combination of blood plasma and dead skin cells.  This is not pus and it indicates a healing piercing.

Good Things to Do:

  • Ice your piercings using an ice pack wrapped in clean paper towels, 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off.
  • Replace your old toothbrush with a fresh one so you don’t introduce bacteria into your new piercing.
  • Try to sleep with your head propped up for the first few nights to minimize nighttime swelling.
  • Try to go slowly when you eat and take small bites when you are getting used to your new jewelry.
  • Leave your jewelry in at all times.  Even old and well-healed piercings can close in seconds.

Don’t Do This:

  • No oral or sexual contact, including French Kissing, for the entire healing period.  Aside from mouths and other body parts being dirty, you also have an open wound in your mouth, which can transmit STDs.
  • Avoid alcoholic beverages as these can cause additional swelling, bleeding and discomfort.
  • Reducing smoking or quitting is recommended for faster healing.
  • Do not play with the jewelry for the initial healing time beyond normal talking and eating.  Playing can result in migration or the formation of scar tissue.
  • Do not use Listerine or other mouthwashes that contain alcohol.   They do more harm than good.

Aside from the information found here, don’t hesitate to call the shop and ask further questions.

We want to give you as much information as we can about the healing process and make sure you have a great experience.